The Power of Strategic Marketing PR To Move Brands Forward

How PR Pros Become Successful - Tips for College Students and Grads

2010-05-17T15:33:00.000-04:00

A communications major at the University of Florida recently interviewed me regarding what it takes to be successful in public relations. I offer the following tips that I gave her.

Successful PR professionals:

• Always get their key message across. Whether it is a news release, brochure, media interview or social media “Tweet,” PR pros are focused on the message(s) they need to communicate. Even if someone tries to lead them down another path, a PR pro knows how to transition back to the message to keep the spotlight on it!

• Are very good writers in both short and long form. Study grammar and style. Be crystal clear and concise in your writing. The more writing you can do, the more constructive feedback you can get to help you improve.

• Part of being a good writer is reading good writing. Some of the best PR writers in the World are editors in magazines such as Time, Newsweek and US News. Read their stories and you’ll see nearly perfect style and form. You’ll pick up sentence structures and how they crafted their story. I encourage our young staffers to read the story, and then try to recreate in their mind, or on paper if they have the time, the news release that was originally sent to the reporter.

• Are good verbal communicators. In many cases, a PR person is front and center in an interview on behalf of a company. It’s important to know your key messages, be able to transition to them, how to counter misleading questions and, of course, look calm and cool under the circumstances.

• Are creative at what they do. While all of the above is important and vital for success, you have to remember that everyone else is doing the same thing to capture a reporter’s attention. So it’s important to be creative in your approach to pitching the media about a topic, writing a news release with a headline and first paragraph that has some flair to it, creating social media tools that not only educate but are somewhat entertaining. At the end of the day, you may have the best news release ever written, but the reporter who receives it already has seen 100 other releases and will give your release about six seconds to scan it… It’s important to capture their interest from the very first word.

Crisis PR 101

2010-05-11T14:37:00.000-04:00

With the environmental disaster in the Gulf... and the crisis PR being deployed by BP... it should remind everyone to be prepared for a crisis themselves. Here are some tips:

First of all, every company should have a crisis plan in place before a crisis actually occurs. Without a plan and when a crisis happens, mistakes in handling the PR function often occurs. The key is to be prepared with an action plan, a hot tip sheet to answer in key talking points, have an executive on hand who has been media trained and a good assessment of what has occurred.

In a crisis, PR practitioners need to talk to give people information. If they do not talk, someone else will do it for them. Their competitors, dissatisfied customers, industry experts and former employees will all have something to say about the situation. But only the practitioners have the company's best interest at heart.

Be honest! Crisis management is also about regaining trust. PR practitioners cannot lie their way out of a crisis – it will always backfire. Being dishonest during an emergency response campaign is a sure way to navigate the company into troubled waters. If investors, customers or business partners find out that the company is trying to finagle them, credibility is gone. A crisis is the time to step up and show competency and commitment to honesty. The victims of a crisis deserve to know the truth.

In any crisis situation, you should be prepared to answer the "Big Three" crisis media questions. These questions are asked with surprising consistency in any emergency situation, regardless of the nature of the crisis. Answers to these questions set the tone for general media coverage.

Q: What happened?
A: Be honest and provide as many facts as possible. Send out updates as further information becomes available. The goal when answering question one is to appear competent and transparent. Show stakeholders that you know what you are talking about, have gathered all relevant information and are forwarding all available facts. Do not hide anything!

Q: Why did it happen?
A: Give the reasons as to why the situation occurred. When responding to an accident, you might not be able to answer this question right away. Investigations often take months and you might find yourself in a position where you will have to deal with rumors and accusations. Do not speculate; it will not help the victims of your crisis.

Q: What are you going to do about it?
A: As you might have guessed, this is your chance to shine. This question gives the company the opportunity to show that it is professional, responsible and prepared. Tell stakeholders what actions will be taken to help them during this difficult situation. Make sure to get the answer to this question right because you might only have one try.

"How To Give A Great Interview."

2010-04-23T09:00:00.001-04:00

Posted by Emmy Award journalist - and director of Public Relations for cPR - Matthew Schwartz.

My previous blog discussed some of the things that make a bad interview. If you’re a company spokesperson, how you handle an interview can directly affect your firm’s bottom line. You might be on the news once a year, or even less frequently. Your eight second sound bite could actually affect your company for years to come. Don’t blow it! Here are some tips I’ve come up with after 30-plus years as a television news reporter.

When the station calls requesting an interview, find out the reporter’s name. Do a little homework on that person. Better yet, try to watch one of the reporter’s pieces on the station’s Web site or elsewhere on the Internet. Then, when you meet you can tell them you saw the piece and compliment them. Who doesn’t like a compliment? And the reporter just might be a little nicer to you when it comes to writing the story.

During the interview, say the reporter’s name a few times during the course of your answers, such as “Yes, Matthew, that was a big day for us.” Many reporters like using sound bites with their names in them, as though the interviewee is on a first-name basis with them.

If appropriate and you have any video that helps explain the story, make sure it’s available and ready when the reporter arrives. If it’s pertinent and exciting “b roll,” as it’s still often called, reporters will be grateful to you.

You will turn-off the reporter if you try to make your interview sound like an obvious plug for your company...don’t make it sound like a commercial.

When answering questions, look at the reporter, not the camera. Staring into the lens looks hokey and like a commercial. Also, it’s ok to periodically glance at any notes you might have written. But if you look down too long, you will appear not to be well-versed on your subject.

Be open and honest. We live in a forgiving society. Reporters might cut you some slack if you say, “We made a mistake here.”

If the topic involves any late-breaking news, the reporter will love getting that from you…say something like, “We have just found out…”

Make sure you TIVO the interview when it airs. That accomplishes a few things. You can critique yourself, and also make sure the reporter didn’t take what you said out of context. If you are being interviewed as an expert, make sure the station has your contact info on hand so you can always be called for future stories. In fact, you should make sure all the news organizations have your contact information.

“How Not To Do An Interview”

2010-04-16T07:09:00.003-04:00

Posted by Matthew Schwartz, a Four time Emmy Award winner and now director of Public Relations for cPR.

I’ve spent more than 30 years as a television journalist, mostly as an investigative reporter in New York City. I’ve conducted thousands of interviews. Some were memorable: One was in an upstate New York prison with the “Son of Sam” serial killer David Berkowitz. He preferred to discuss religion over why he did what he did while I preferred to focus on the murders.

Then there were interesting chats with mob boss John Gotti, Dwight “Doc” Gooden, the parents of missing baby Sabrina Aisenberg, presidents and former presidents (Jimmy Carter while he and Roslyn were building a house) and then New York State Attorney General (and now former disgraced Governor) Elliott Spitzer, who was once known as being tough on law and order.

I have no problems remembering those interviews. But I do have trouble recalling the really bad, boring ones. Maybe I’ve intentionally forgotten them. But there are some common elements to why they were so bad that anyone can learn from.

The worst interviewees are those who have no focus and tend to run all over the place. They go off on tangents rather than sticking to a single point. They might have pre-determined notions of what they want to say, but answer one question only to ramble on with things unrelated to the question. And sometimes they answer the question with something totally unrelated.

When interviewees mindlessly answer questions with long responses, they are leaving it up to the reporter to edit the comments to get their desired key points on the air. If the interviewee is a spokesperson for a company, trying to improve the business, they just blew a golden opportunity. Why leave it up the reporter to ascertain what is your key message and what is not?

And if the reporter is there because of a company crisis or any negative issue, the worst thing the rep can say is, “No comment.” In those two words, you’ve just convinced almost all of the audience that you’re guilty. Might not be fair, just true.

Lesson learned: be prepared, be short and sweet in your response, be clear in your answer and be open and honest with your response.

Media training can do a lot with most spokespeople. Some need a lot, others a little. But a high percentage of company reps who I’ve interviewed could use a host of pointers. I believed this long before I moved into public relations.

Remember, one bad interview can cost your company a lot of business. And one good interview can change its fortunes.

Emmy Award Winning Journalist - Matthew Schwartz - Joins cPR.

2010-04-15T08:36:00.005-04:00

One of the most trusted media professionals in Tampa is coming to our agency to benefit your business. We are pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Schwartz as the company's new Director of Public Relations.

Schwartz joins cPR from his post as an investigative journalist for ABC Action News in Tampa. Previously, he worked in New York City for WWOR. There, he reported from Ground Zero on 9/11, David Berkowitz (The Son of Sam serial killer) granted him the only interview he did in a 10 year span and he covered the trials of John Gotti.

As his four Emmy Awards and 200 other journalism awards attest, Schwartz is an expert in media relations strategy, writing, pitching, media training and placements. He will lead the cPR media relations team on all accounts and work with others on marketing public relations strategies to build awareness, credibility and name recognition.

"When you need something to break, Matthew not only knows the right message to interest any reporter, but he personally knows reporters around the country to get the placements our clients expect. He's a name that people know and trust and we look forward to his work with all of our accounts."

During his career, Schwartz has also been a lead reporter in Cleveland, Richmond, Va., and Utica, NY. A native of Brooklyn, he graduated with honors in journalism from Ohio University.

Lessons To Learn From: Rebranding Campaigns That Failed

2010-04-09T09:08:00.003-04:00

Sometimes brands feel that they have to change their look or feel to win over new customers or to keep their brand "fresh" for existing ones. However, many times, their one campaign to do so undermines the years of credibility and trust they built.

In the article "Lessons To Be Learned," some of the country's largest brands tried - and failed - with their rebranding. As one of the sources in the article says, "A successful rebranding involves overhauling a company's goals, message, and culture -- not just changing a name or a logo."

We agree but would add to it by saying that unless you really know what your value proposition is, then any rebranding campaign is sure to fail. The brand lives with the customer, not the company. It's important to know what is important to them and then harness that info into a brand platform that demonstrates your value to them.

Only then can a brand build a relationship of trust, credibility and preference with the customer.

Read Business Insider's top 10 rebranding failures here: http://www.businessinsider.com/rebranding-failures-2010-3#ixzz0kbm1XE6A

Unique PR Measurements from Silver Anvils

2010-03-23T09:21:00.000-04:00

As a national judge for the Silver Anvils, I see lots of ways PR professionals try to judge their own success in a campaign. While even the largest firms still try to pass impressions or ad equivalencies off as a measurable objective (which I loathe - see past blog entry here), there were a couple of unique ones I found interesting.

Most of them had to do with social media.

For instance, one entry was for an online business who needed to grow their online presence. Sure, the campaign used traditional media relations to garner awareness, but they also attacked Twitter and FaceBook to build online engagement. Using a variety of messages to reach key influencers, who in turn had many online followers, they were able to continually build a following of "friends" who shared a passion with what the online business offered.

While they had ambitious goals of gathering friends, needless to say was that the program had definite measureables that could be tracked back to a public relations only campaign. It was a one to one relationship that was easily tracked, measured and caused 100 percent by effective PR.

While many still attempt to pass off general objectives as a defining element to their campaign, it is only those who have detailed measureables that win the big trophy. The next time your looking for a new metric to add to your campaign, think of how to use social media and their tracking mechanisms to build a winning program.

PRSA Names Carpenter To Judge's Panel

2010-01-12T16:02:00.002-05:00

Thank you PRSA for naming us to the national judge's panel for reviewing, judging and selecing the Silver Anvil Award... for the fifth consecutive year!

We are proud to serve once again this year and we look forward to our annual trip to New York City!

2010 Is A New Start; Thoughts From Buffett (Warren not Jimmy)

2010-01-05T09:35:00.006-05:00

2010 is a new start of everyone. It's a time to turn the page, apply what was learned in 2009 and transform your marketing - or business - to higher levels in 2010. As our first post for the new decade, we thought we would start with some thoughts from Buffett... not our favorite entertainer Jimmy, but the business master himself, Warren. Below is a brief we found on http://www.leadershipnow.com/ about a new book on Buffett and his thoughts on business. Let's have a great 2010 everyone!

***

Warren Buffett on Business

Here are a few business principles in Buffett’s own words:

* * *

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.

* * *

I think we have a very good culture virtually everyplace in Berkshire. I hope it’s everyplace. This is what we are looking for, and it’s more a question of culture than controls. If you have a good culture, I think you can make the rules pretty simple.

* * *

An observer might conclude from our hiring practices that Charlie and I were traumatized early in life by an EEOC bulletin on age discrimination. The real explanation, however, is self-interest: It’s difficult to teach a new dog old tricks. The many Berkshire managers who are past 70 hit home runs today at the same pace that long ago gave them reputations as young slugging sensations. Therefore, to get a job with us, just employ the tactic of the 76-year-old who persuaded a dazzling beauty of 25 to marry him. “How did you ever get her to accept?” asked his envious contemporaries. The comeback: “I told her I was 86.”

* * *

I’ve said many times that when a management with a reputation for brilliance tackles a business with a reputation for bad economics, it is the reputation of the business that remains intact. I just wish I hadn’t been so energetic in creating examples. My behavior has matched that admitted by Mae West: “I was Snow White, but I drifted.”

* * *

My most surprising discovery: the overwhelming importance in business of an unforeseen force that we might call “the institutional imperative.”… I thought…that decent, intelligent, and experienced managers would automatically make rational business decisions. But I learned over time that isn’t so….For example:

As if governed by Newton’s First Law of Motion, an institution will resist any change in its current direction
Just as work expands to fill available time, corporate projects or acquisitions will materialize to soak up available funds
Any business craving of the leader, however foolish, will be quickly supported by detailed rate-of-return and strategic studies prepared by his troops; and
The behavior of peer companies, whether they are expanding, acquiring, setting executive compensation or whatever, will be mindlessly imitated.

Institutional dynamics, not venality or stupidity, set businesses on these courses, which are too often misguided.

* * *

It’s no sin to miss a great opportunity outside one’s area of competence.

Protect Your Brand In Social Media

2009-06-10T09:04:00.005-04:00

The digital playground that is Social Media… A power shift in the way brands communicate.

The digital playground offers brands a chance to go on the Wild Side. Very few limits. Little filters. An immediate way for an executive or brand manager to connect to millions of people in one mouse click.

It’s about being social and connecting to friends and like-minded people…Thanks FaceBook and MySpace.
It’s about inviting others to participate in your brand via two-way communication…Thanks user-generated content sites like YouTube.
It’s about convenience, access and communicating anytime, anywhere... Thanks Al Gore for inventing the Internet.

For the public relations profession, social media is our golden opportunity to build a great brand by engaging customers and building relationships in ways we never had before.But be careful what you wish for. Social media is also our greatest challenge for maintaining our brand.

In fact, I believe that for most business executives, the greatest source for crisis situations won't be product recalls, strikes, service issues, plant fires or natural disaster... It will be the negative consequences caused by Social Media. Are you prepared?

Before you send your first corporate Tweet or blog entry…

Decide how your brand will live in social media. Define a personality. Is it educational, edu-tainment, sales-oriented, thought provoking or user generated content promotional.
Look at your marketing goals and business objectives. Ask yourself what you want to get out of social media, what are your measureable objectives, who is your team and how will social media translate into both opportunity and challenge.
Anticipate how social media will solve an existing problem, cause a crisis and solve a crisis. Develop sample crisis situations and include the support to defend a position. Get executive and legal buy in and then TRAIN.
Define the players who will participate in your digital playground and train them how you need them to respond.
Develop a list of key contacts (stakeholders, media, bloggers) and have them at your disposal to communicate quickly.
Include social media boundaries in your employee contracts and handbook. Most are outdated thanks to technology. Leave no doubt to what is permitted and when.
Train all employees – from the chairman down – about the consequences of misguided social media efforts. Libel, slander and lawsuits are just a click away!

By being prepared and actively participating in Social Media, brands can protect themselves in the digital playground.

See the complete white paper here.

PR Is More Than Media Relations

2009-04-14T08:26:00.004-04:00

When you sit back and look at the winners of the Silver Anvils, most have a couple of things in common.

1. They had measurable results that demonstrated that their strategies and tactics worked
2. The campaign was exceptionally thorough in its integration
3. The campaign was creative, original and innovative

And it is the last point that I want to quickly discuss. When most people think of PR, they think of sending out news releases and getting press hits. And, often, we see many entries come across that are simple media relations programs. Don't get me wrong, media relations is important, but it is not the sole arrow in the quiver.

To achieve greatness in a campaign, PR practitioners need to "own" the third bullet from above (creative, original, innovative) to break through the clutter while framing an issue as only PR can:

Be creative in your approach to solving a problem.

When a well-known overnight delivery brand was losing market share because of the perception that they just delivered letters, the PR counselor came up with a creative solution that tied the client's delivery system with a charitable cause by delivering Christmas trees and large boxed gifts to military families whose father/mother was overseas.

Implement original content and ideas that few have done before.

When a hair care company wanted to raise new awareness of its product line, instead of just going the news release route, they created a campaign that 1) encouraged women to love their hair through seminars, training workshops and online chat sessions, 2) raised awareness with teens about hair care and self esteem (think formative years) through a partnership with the Girl Scouts and 3) pulled back the curtain on "Hollywood hair" to show how anyone can be as glamorous as their favorite celeb.

Innovative strategies and executions go a long way in cementing a brand in the mind of a consumer.

When a body spray company was debuting its product, they wanted to visually showcase how the brand's promise worked in real life for all to witness. In a "live your life through me" type campaign, targeted consumers got to vote on where to send one person to live the brand experience and then, thanks to a camera on the person, watch him use the body spray, become an instant celeb, party like a rock star and be the most popular guy there. Now, this body spray company uses the same before/after spray approach in a multi-million ad campaign... but the heavy lifting was done through PR!

Lesson learned: To be great, don't fall into the box that says PR is all about media relations. Be creative. Be original. And be innovative. That's what makes the best a Silver Anvil.

Know The Difference Between Strategy and Tactic

2009-04-02T09:25:00.004-04:00

As we judge the Silver Anvils, there is often confusion in the entries - and the firms entering them - about the difference between a “strategy” and a “tactic.” For instance, we often see "Distribute XYZ number of news releases per month" as as strategy. Media relations is a tactic, not a strategy. Let's take a quick look.

STRATEGY involves the “big picture” – the overall plan, how the campaign will achieve organizational goals and objectives. It involves deciding who the important publics are and which of them will be the recipients of your messages (i.e., “target audiences”).

Strategic planning determines how the organization will be positioned; how important publics will learn about the organization and how it can help them. It will also create a reason why the audience should believe and support the organization, and it will help develop a consistent message and focus for the organization to uphold.

Each strategy must be considered on its own merits, and must be a viable option to be judged on its own strengths – one that definitely will solve the problem. Any approaches that will not solve the problem independently should be eliminated. If a combination of approaches can solve the problem, consider the combination as a strategic alternative.

TACTICS are activities specifically created and selected to reach specific and measurable objectives. Tactics are the actual ways in which the strategies are executed... such as sending out a news release... to targets that key audiences actually are exposed to. Tactics include:

ACTION EVENTS: Non-written tactics such as special events, demonstrations, exhibits, parades, community contributions (manpower, talent, advice, money) and other non-verbal activities.
COMMUNICATIONS TACTICS: Verbal tactics (oral and written) that use words or pictures. These include newsletters, flyers, news releases, brochures, direct mail, advertising, themes, slogans, the Web, social media and other initiatives that use words and language as their basis.

From The Silver Anvils to Your PR Campaign: Lessons To Learn From

2009-03-20T12:20:00.007-04:00

As a Silver Anvil judge for PRSA over the last four years, I've seen some very good entries that deserved to win our industry's most prestigious award and ones that made me scratch my head. In both cases, there are things that all public relations practitioners can learn from. Over the course of the next couple of blog entries, I will provide some insight on the good, bad and the ugly.

The first topic of discussion is measurable objectives.

The best campaigns are those that state a clear and defined objective that is accountable through a specific measurement. In my view, measurable objectives address behavioral and attitudinal changes with a target audience to clearly demonstrate that the "needle has moved" from preliminary research indicating a need or opportunity. And those who win the Silver Anvil Award clearly state the above.

For instance, to increase positive awareness of a brand by 20 percent within a core audience is a good defined measure. From a baseline study to a study conducted afterward, data can be collected to demonstrate that an action has occurred because of a specific strategic effort. So too are tier 1 objectives such as increasing share of voice, changing perception levels and increasing brand value or equity. Even a tier 2 objective such as driving traffic to a sales channel, such as Web or call center, is good as long as it can be measured.

Yet, in many, many instances, we see generic objectives that have no stated outcome or goal. For instance, we see "increase overall awareness" come across our desk in nearly 75 percent of all entries. Does that mean 1 percent or 1000 percent and how does it impact a specific need. Same with "increase media coverage." These are not a good objectives because there is no measurement to determine overall effectiveness. And the latter, increase media coverage, is a tactic that leads to a attitudinal objective rather than an objective itself.

Simply put, a good objective is one that can be measured through data that clearly demonstrates change or progress within a target audience. If you can't measure what you're trying to do, then why do it?

In later entries, we'll discuss creativity, research, execution and evaluation.

Rise of the Virtual Marketing Department

2009-02-01T14:21:00.000-05:00

As the economy continues to crumble, the trend of the virtual marketing department is increasing.

What is a virtual marketing department? In most cases, it is an outside marketing, PR or advertising agency serving as the internal marketing dept. with a corporate VP or director overseeing their effort. The virtual marketing department has several advantages for any corporation... small or large:

Improved focus: You can put your energy into your organization's core competencies. If you have a marketing department, that also applies to them. You can free them of certain responsibilities—so they can play to their strengths.

Reduced overhead: You'll reduce or avoid the cost of additional office space, computers, vendor relationships and credit—plus compensation, benefits and training costs for the marketing team.

Read the rest by clicking here.

With Tight Economy, More Companies Outsourcing Their Marketing

2009-01-12T14:11:00.000-05:00

According to a recent survey, more companies are outsourcing their marketing functions to firms in order to control costs while maximizing results. The survey, in my opinion, is right on the mark as companies figure out that hiring a "virtual marketing department" is not only a wise choice, but an essential one.

Here is the start of the story with a link to it:

Seeking a competitive advantage in a tough economy, companies are devoting a higher percentage of their budgets to marketing, according to the 2008 Business-to-Business Marketing Mix Survey.

Download a free copy at: http://www.sagefrog.com/registerfordownload.asp

Blogging & Managing Your Reputation

2008-08-14T17:46:00.003-04:00

As a member of the Counselors Academy, we often get asked to comment on trends and issues impacting our industry. One of the most frequent questions we get is about blogging. Here are my two cents:

If you want to be perceived as an industry leader or a knowledge broker, then creating a blog is paramount to establishing your credibility. While blogs can be used to "sell," most blogs are meant to inform, educate and, most importantly, engage a key audience. While Web sites are static, blogs encourage dialogue and two-way communication that build a level of trust and appreciation for your branded product or service.

Monitor the news and blogs for articles that would be of interest to your audience. When writing about the news as a blogger, it is not just a matter of describing the news—though that is important. It is more imperative that you provide new, informative and entertaining analysis in order to sustain and grow your audience. That is why opinion and your personal perspective interlaced with your past experiences will help to add to your credibility and foster loyal readership.

Managing content is easy, but managing responses aren't in some cases. When you open up yourself to review and "community journalism," you may receive negative comments for all to see from an unhappy customer or a rival company posting under a fake name. The key to effective blogging is constant monitoring to respond quickly to inaccurate posts and questions from the public. Presenting the facts and how they relate to your brand position can turn a negative into a positive. Blogging is a two way street, so don't bury your head in the sand when negative posts occur. In doing so, it will only feed more negativity and create a mountain out of a mole hill.

Blogs help you maintain your focus. This may be difficult, depending on how your corporation structures it, but a blog also has the additional benefit of focusing your company on the needs and desires of your customer. You get to devote time to thinking about what your customers think about, what they want, what they're looking for. If your corporation has begun to lose its focus or even if it hasn't, a blog can help to remind you where you came from and how you got to where you are with your users.

Finally, blogging makes you human. Don't blog to keep up with the Jones' down the street. Blog because you feel blogging, and the input you receive, is right for your company. By putting a human aspect into the marketing process, you put a "face" behind the message instead of cold, faceless, unengaging brand. If you can pull off blogging, you add the human touch that will set you apart from your competition and all the other large corporations out there.

For more information, please visit www.carpenterpr.com.

Prepare For A Crisis. Yes, You Too!

2008-07-07T17:09:00.001-04:00

So you run a great company. You pay attention to product quality, you value your employee’s safety and your insurance plans are paid and up to date. But are you really ready for a full-on crisis? If the news media, employees, vendors, customers and even government officials were camped outside your door, would you be prepared to communicate with them accurately, aptly and immediately?

Fact is, bad things can, and do, happen to good companies. Sudden management decisions involving lawsuits, takeover attempts, layoffs, strikes or regulatory constraints can rapidly capture the public’s eye. Or emergencies such as plant accidents, floods or the death of a senior manager can cause immediate alarm both inside and outside of a company. Even the most unsympathetic of audiences have come to understand that these types of unwanted events do occur.

What remains, however, is a hovering anticipation of how an effected company responds? Does it speak before all the facts are known? Does it allow rumors or innuendo to spread? Does its past public communications foster a climate of trust and respect or has its “closed door policy” created an air of questions and doubt?

Read more at: www.carpenterpr.com

Beware of Ad Equivalency

2008-06-14T15:25:00.001-04:00

I was reading a case history the other day about a national media relations plan. The firm told what they did and timeframe in which they did so. Then it go to the results. Did sales increase? No. Did measureable awareness levels change? No. The only measureable they stated in this published article was... ad equivalency.

Say what? Ad equivalency is no a measure of public relations success than stating how many pencils were needed to write the overall campaign. While some firms state that it shows how much ad dollars were saved or how much ad value was created, at the end of the day, the PR result has to be outcome, not output.

If you want a measure to see if your PR campaign worked, check how more web traffic was generated, how many more phone calls occurred, how perceptions and awareness levels changed from one survey to another and how much product was moved off the shelf. And if you just want a simplistic measure, how many clips were generated.

But ad equivalency doesn't equate to value, volume, success or end benefit. It's just a number to show nothing else was really accomplished.

If any PR firm talks to you about how they measure ad equilvalency, RUN.

For more information on public relations, please visit www.carpenterpr.com.

Fact: PR More Cost Effective Than Mass Advertising

2008-06-01T15:22:00.001-04:00

There is always talk about the cost of marketing a product in a down time... should we say it... recession.

Here is the stone cold truth: For the cost of three to four full page ads in a major daily newspaper, you can easily fund a national media relations campaign for one year.

Cost effective. Impact. Credibility/endorsement builder. That's the power of public relations.

To learn more, visit www.carpenterpr.com

Need Customers... Target Intelligently

2008-05-15T14:29:00.003-04:00

Markets are down. Sales in many sectors are declining. Consumer confidence is shaken and overwhelmed. Yet, marketing and sales professionals are tasked with producing more sales and delivering better ROI with limited resources. What is a marketer to do?

During speeches and presentations, I'm often asked that question.

For any marketing and sales executive, the simple answer lies in Intelligent Targeting.

The process delivers new customers to you. Not just any customers, but ones who are shopping now, shopping often, and spending more. How? By delivering the same level of direct marketing sophistication to small to mid-sized companies heretofore reserved for the corporate elite, intelligent targeting takes the guesswork out of your direct marketing process

In doing so, you can simplify the customer acquistion process, improve your ROI and generate sales. Need help?

Learn more at www.carpenterpr.com

Recession Blues? Use PR To Build Brand Success.

2008-02-19T20:33:00.003-05:00

Experts are forecasting the U. S. economy is in for some hard times. Maybe we are. Maybe we’re not. What does seem likely is that “business as usual” is soon to undergo some severe challenges—challenges that are sure to include how best to market our respective products and services.

To be sure, the use of advertising, telemarketing and other “paid” media – all effective during a vibrant, healthy economy – has given ground of late. Why? Simply put, marketers are getting too little and spending too much. With forecasts such as they are, corporate executives are revisiting their 2008 marketing plan in search of better results. So what is the alternative during these economically challenged times? For many, the discipline of public relations has become a successful way to continue brand building.

What makes PR so special? It's all about the three Cs:

1. Significantly lower costs than advertising
2. The ability to fight through clutter
3. The enhanced credibility one receives when referenced by a third party

Read more about how PR can help with cost-effective programs at www.carpenterpr.com

Build Brand With 20/20 Vision.

2008-01-05T08:38:00.002-05:00

What is a brand?

For consumers, it’s a perceived promise that a company has made to them.

For CEOs, it’s their company’s reputation. It’s also their company’s most valued asset. Fulfilling the consumer brand promise involves many facets. It’s the people that are hired and how they live the brand once on board. It’s the products and services that are created and how they’re marketed, sold, delivered, serviced and priced. It’s the relationships with vendors, distributors and the communities in which the company operates.

In the end, brands are something to be created—something to be produced consciously, purposefully, strategically. The stakes are high and the vision for a company’s future must be clear—20/20 clear.

Successful CEOs look at the big picture by viewing their brand’s current reputation while setting their sights for a dozen years from now. Check your vision with an objective reputational audit and establish a plan for achieving the desired brand by the year 2020.

Try beginning with a piece of paper, the belief that “What gets written gets done” and a long, realistic look at the past, present and future. Identify potential gaps between your core competencies and the opinions of others—or, in other words, seek to separate fact from fiction, strengths from weaknesses. People, product, pricing, partners. All influence and impact your reputation. Seek input from all sources that directly portray the brand and your reputation to key stakeholders.

Only after arming yourself with such knowledge can you begin the process of orchestrating all elements of your company toward a harmonious goal: creating a powerful and lasting brand.

Brands built around the cornerstone of a company’s reputation that deliver upon a consumer promise are not done so by gimmicky tag lines or fanciful paid media. Reputations are earned not granted. They’re shaped through reality not bestowed through awards. That said, they must be articulated. They absolutely require communications that are clear, consistent and ongoing to all stakeholders. Employees. Vendors. Investors. Customers.

One of the disciplines frequently tapped by CEOs to manage the branding process is that of public relations. Paul Holmes, editor of Reputation Management and Inside PR magazine says, “In this environment, public relations …is evolving from the publicity function that it has been at most organizations to a more sophisticated discipline that is responsible for managing an organization’s reputation, the sum of its relationships.” Not all public relations firms, however, are equipped for such a challenge.

Branding exercises and developing long-term strategies are no time for on-the-job training. Only those with first-hand experience performing audits, interpreting results and orchestrating strategic communications campaigns based on these results should be considered. The stakes are simply too high.

Brand clarity. Credible corporate reputation. Delivering on a customer promise.

Creating and managing your company’s biggest asset – your brand – can be successfully achieved as long as your vision is clear—20/20 clear.

The Value of Reputation Management

2007-07-15T22:50:00.000-04:00

Leaders of corporations must manage many challenges. The most obvious ones include creating and executing a solid business plan; attracting, developing and motivating quality people, and maintaining investors' confidence. These are themes covered by business schools and a myriad of business books. But there's another priority critical to success: maintaining a good corporate reputation, and it can be the most difficult because of its importance.

Simply put, corporate reputation is a successful enterprise's single-biggest long-term asset and in today's 24/7 news environment, it can be destroyed in a minute.

A good reputation is earned through a results oriented management function that seeks to leverage reputation as an asset, enlisting important stake-holder groups to assist the organization in the achievement of management objectives.

To achieve positive outcomes, take a solid ground-up approach. Realize that stakeholders – consumers/customers, employees, media, non-governmental organizations and public officials – and their collective opinions and beliefs will influence your reputation. And when these opinions and beliefs don't match expectations, craft the messages and strategies that effect change.

And when PR strateges are implemented, measured and successful, a crisis won’t diminish or damage your reputation. Rather, through the prior credibility and equity that PR has built, it maintains as a stable and positive asset in the minds of the public who value your product. In today’s age of 365/24/7 media, this is invaluable to your financial success and long-term vision.

Why PR Instead of Advertising

2007-05-17T13:45:00.000-04:00

When I tell people that public relations is a more effective way in building a brand than advertising, ears usually perk up... as do the doubting smirks from disbelievers. While advertising can help sustain the brand after it has been built, public relations is the best way to launch it for the following reasons:

1. Building a brand requires credibility... almost instantly.
Let's face it, if no one has heard of you or your product, do you really think an advertisement claiming the product is the best thing since sliced bread is believable? Probably not. You may as well as throw your money away.

Public relations builds a brand by generating results through unbiased endorsement from the media through its print and broadcast reports. People trust the media and assume the article is accurate through the background checks the editorial process takes. It's earned media in the minds of the public because it has been scrutinized by a third party. Since it comes from a credible source, it translates into instant credibility for your product or company. Ads can't do that.

2. Building a brand doesn't have to be expensive...
As many marketing VPs have found, it takes big bucks/dollars to build frequency around the country for branding purposes. Hundreds of thousands if not millions depending on the product. What's the rule, it takes six times before someone remembers your ad. Through PR, you can accomplish much more for much less.

Through PR's relationship building model coupled with insightful/creative ideas that are clear, concise and compelling, one major story by a credible source can instantly build a brand. People will cut the story out and remember it. And strategic PR campaign can be completed much more cost effectively. Through the same positioning process advertising agencies take, PR counselors can effectively pitch your strategic messages (benefits, attributes, benefits) geared towards news value for the intended audience via e-mail, fax and phone.

3. Building a brand requires flexibility...
When you advertise, you're essentially putting all of your eggs in one basket and hope that the medium works. Why do that? Didn't you read parts 1 and 2 above? Public relations can provide you with an integrated approach using several tools to build support at the mass and grassroots level. Using disciplines such as media relations, community relations, experiential marketing, philanthropic communications, alliance building, viral communications and new media, you can hit the public in many ways that they are receptive to. And all of it can be measured to check if the change you wanted is being recorded and, if warranted, quickly adapt if a program needs tinkered to better the outcome. Can you do that with advertising? Sure, but it will take you weeks if not months to get your ad created with a different message and placed. By then, your reputation may be shot... which then you have to go back to PR anyway for repair and damage control.

In closing, there are many reasons why public relations should be at the table when a brand is planned for launch. I've listed just three. I would like to read how you think PR is better suited to build a brand... or if you think I'm crazy because advertising is the "thing."

It's Outcome Measurement Not Output Measurement

2007-05-07T21:54:00.000-04:00

As I talk with potential clients and with some public relations firms, I am amazed on what their perception of public relations is: generating lots of releases and obtaining media hits. Period. While this tactic is important, it is no where close to what the public relations discipline can do for a company.

In today's world of online and traditional media, the main power of public relations is really about generating positive outcomes... not generating lots of output. Let’s face it, anyone from a junior executive to a receptionist can send out a news release. That's why people who really don't know about the power of public relations say that is what PR really is.

But that is a simple answer to a hard problem. While hits may be recorded and ad equivalencies promoted during the length of a campaign, if no one changes their mind about the company, product or service, then the campaign was not a sound program.

Through an integrated PR program utilizing several strategies to start conversations with consumers, practitioners can begin down the path to change the mindset of that consumer towards positive outcomes.

Through an outcome-based measurement approach, you track your progress as the campaign evolves, making changes to messages and tactics along the way. Instead of just counting clips, you track to see if actual change is being done to meet your business goal by answering the hard questions with measurable results:

is the needle is being moved towards your position
is your message is resonating with the public
is your reputation more credible today than at the beginning of the program
what impact has it made on a specific goal

Output based campaigns can't do this... But outcome based ones can.

That’s the true power of public relations.

The Power of Public Relations

2007-04-30T22:53:00.000-04:00

It's not what you say about yourself that gets results, it's what others say about you that builds positive awareness, changes perceptions from bad to good and build's instant credibility through endorsement. That is the value of public relations.

PR does something that advertising can never do; make a reader, viewer or listener believe that your product or service is credible and good. Why? More often than not, the key prospect (the consumer) has built a level of trust with the media and/or reporter they receive the story from. So when the reporter says this product is the best thing since sliced bread, the prospect will probably believe. If they read the same thing in an ad, they probably would not.

That's why public relations is earned media, not paid media. Positive public relations is harder to get since it depends on a third party to believe in your product before it gets to their audience. But when it does, it is more impactful than a typical advertisement. That's why every product wants to be on Oprah, The Today Show or Dr. Phil. Their endorsement, through positive press coverage, could mean the difference to an OK sales year or one where a small company bursts onto the national scene for decades to come.

So when thinking about ways to market your product, service or company, make sure that public relations is part of the marketing mix. It will be the single most important investment you can make to create the brand you always wanted.

In coming posts, we'll explore how to use PR for obtaining some of these results and provide some tips that anyone can use.