Posts Tagged ‘communications’

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There’s Definitely a Business Case to Be Made for Public Relations…

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

By Gary McCormick, APR, Fellow PRSA; Director, Partnership Development, HGTV; 2010 PRSA Chair/CEO

       

I recently had the opportunity to ring the opening bell for the NASDAQ – a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I clearly had never placed on my bucket list. Even more curious, it was done for an organization that is not a listed or public company. I was there representing a professional association of public relations professionals, which represents a multibillion-dollar global industry.

So how did this happen? It was the result of an advocacy program for public relations launched by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) to outline the value and impact that public relations has on an organization’s success – The Business Case for Public RelationsTM.

Many don’t understand the essence of our business. Stylized notions of celebrity publicists and Beltway spokespeople pervade the news and popular culture, and the term “PR” itself has become common shorthand for the impression – good or bad – that organizations create.

That’s why PRSA developed The Business Case for Public RelationsTM. The program showcases the role of public relations and the professional value it delivers to essential business outcomes:

  • Distinct skills provide services like crisis mitigation, reputation and brand building, wealth creation and consumer engagement.
  • More than other communications and marketing disciplines, public relations engages all stakeholders of an organization, identifying and delivering impacts that are strategically aligned with concerns of the boardroom, employees, customers and investors.
  • Public relations skills are critical to restoring waning public confidence in government and financial institutions as well as being essential to define, develop and maintain the transparency that consumers expect from the companies with whom they choose to do business.

Today more than ever before, companies and organizations need the value that public relations can deliver. As consumer engagement grows through social media, companies will need to outline an increased ability to manage the relationship and conversation that impacts their success in the marketplace. But companies need to engage a public relations professional that understands how to research, plan, execute and evaluate based upon the organization’s defined objectives in order to achieve value.

If your public relations activities are focused on business output and media clips instead of business outcomes, then you are coming up short in a return on your investment. On the other hand, your investment in public relations will garner attention when you can show how that investment delivers value in financial performance by generating sales, revenue and profit; improves your brand equity and reputation; allows for stronger and more efficient employee recruitment and retention; and increases the support you seek for policy decisions or achieving market position.

I hope that you will take time to find out more about the value of public relations on an organization’s performance by visiting www.prsa.org/intelligence/businesscase/.  Moreover, I hope that you find and define the value that public relations is currently delivering or can definitely deliver in your organization.

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Media Relations: It’s a part of – but not the whole – PR toolbox

Friday, May 7th, 2010

By Mary Beth West, APR

For anyone who has worked in the public relations field, it doesn’t take long to realize that this profession is widely misunderstood, as it has been since it formally became a professional discipline in the mid-twentieth century.

One of the main reasons for this mystification is that so many people singularly define public relations as what they see firsthand, most often in the form of what’s known as “media relations” – the communications process of working directly with reporters, editors and media outlets to achieve an organizational goal. 

And, unfortunately, what people readily observe in the media relations sphere is commonly not that flattering to the profession as a whole.

Turn on the TV most nights, and you’re faced with various spokespersons on the verge of fisticuffs, political press secretaries succumbing to the day’s feeding frenzy with the slip of a half-truth (i.e. a half-lie), or – my personal favorite – Hollywood characters from “Spin City,” “Wag the Dog,” “Sex and the City” or the like who define their PR success by how much they’re pulling the wool over someone’s eyes, or, in Samantha Jones’ case, pulling it off. 

So to help set the record straight about media relations done well, “In the Profession” will focus this month on best practices for this segment of work. 

I hasten to emphasize that media relations is one tool in the public relations and marketing communications arsenal – it’s not the whole of the PR toolbox itself, as some tend to assume.  It is, however, the most high-profile and publicly visible tool.  As such, a big part of representing the value of public relations accurately starts with making sure that media relations’ purpose and parameters for success are understood.

I’ll kick things off with our first piece of advice for the month: respect the First Amendment, freedom of the press and the role that media play to ensure that we live in an open and as-transparent-as-possible society. 

Unfortunately, many businesses – and even many people working in a public relations role – view news media as the enemy and something to be feared.  True, there can be some reporting tactics out there that are problematic (we’ll discuss those this month, too). 

However, the best place to start in working with the media from a position of strength and confidence is to understand – and to respect – the media’s greater First Amendment-driven role in society . . . and in so doing, to seek a relationship with media contacts that facilitates a free flow of information, achieving your organization’s objectives while serving the public good.  Pretty rewarding stuff all-around.

We look forward to sharing more on media relations in the month ahead, and we welcome your comments and feedback.

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Yikes. If you thought you were having a bad week at the office . . .

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

By Mary Beth West, APR

I’m counting my blessings this week that I’m not in the shoes of Nestle’s MarCom Department.  With that said, however, I’m in the public relations business.  And if you’re not an avid student of real-world case studies for guidance on how to handle your own next “really bad week” at the office, then you don’t belong in this profession.  So I’m paying attention here, because this one’s a doozy.

As you can read from The Wall Street Journal piece, Nestle is getting swarmed on the social media front by Greenpeace and Greenpeace wannabes over the candy company’s selection of palm oil vendors (of which the greens are no fans, quite apparently – read for yourself the details). 

With Nestle now counting 95,000 fans on its Facebook fan page – “now mostly protesters,” as the WSJ reports – the question has to be asked:  With “friends” like these, who needs enemies?

Note to self: add to client crisis management plans without fail a Plan B, C and D for when activist groups hijack your client’s fan page.

The WSJ article closes by saying “Marketing experts are split as to whether the company should simply shut down its Facebook page,” citing a few sources on either side of the argument, with one saying that doing so would “cut off all lines of communication” (to which I disagree, since Facebook is a great tool, but come on – it’s not the alpha and the omega of all public contact as we know it); another source saying “The damage has been so done, it might not be a bad idea to shut down the page and start over” (to which I ask the obvious follow-up question – what’s going to keep activists from simply doing the same thing all over again on the new fan page or wherever else?). 

So this is our world, and very few folks in even the highest levels of corporate marketing are used to it yet. 

In this world, the corporation has limited control of messages pertaining to their own entities in the good times and, seemingly, very little to no control in the bad times.  Social media platforms are a shared stage with the rest of the world, and everybody gets a backstage pass, regardless of whether they’re groupies or stalkers.  But you know what?  It ain’t going away. 

To Nestle’s credit, I truly think they are fighting the good fight here, trying to use some restraint and navigate this highly public, ugly situation with some class.  As their spokeswoman was quoted, the company wants to show “we are listening, which we obviously are, while not getting involved in a shouting match.”  Amen to that.  It’s a slippery slope between a level-headed, well-balanced response to criticism and suddenly realizing you’re in a place you don’t want to be – particularly when you’re operating from a supposition of corporate niceness and you’re dealing with a freewheeling, black-ops type of communications insurgency that delights in shock-value.

My final take-away from the temporary sanctuary of the sidelines is that these horror stories don’t give any of us a pass from deepening our engagement in social media – using the judgment of true professionals in how to take the high road, particularly in the face of fringe elements and tactical offensives.  After all, if there’s a battle being fought out there – and there always is – you can’t win it if you don’t show up.

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Being True to Your Brand

Friday, March 26th, 2010

By Joe Bogardus

As always, consistency works best when managing your brand, especially with regard to new social media tools.

These new channels of communications do present some interesting challenges to brand stewards, because more departments are in the business of touching a company’s clients ranging from sales, marketing, communications, R&D, customer-care and more.

It is essential for the long-term well-being of the brand that people connecting with a company’s clients have an understanding and appreciation for the brand’s essence, its key messaging and the tone and manner in which these messages are to be consistently delivered.

More and more brands are looking to establish a set of social media policies that are readily available to all employees who come in contact with a company’s customers.

A popular management model being instituted is the formation of a social media stakeholder committee that consists of representatives from the various departments that use social media to manage various aspects of customer relationships. They are charged with working out how to position the brand effectively with their constituencies and making sure the brand voice is consistent across all platforms of communication.

Other brands are looking to a more centralized model with either a single person responsible or a decentralized approach making all employees responsible for communicating the brand message.

Whichever model your company chooses, it is critical that it be consistently employed and all the team members are fully aware of the roles they are expected to play.

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Mendence Promoted to Senior Account Service Coordinator

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Maryville, Tenn. — Mary Beth West Consulting, LLC, a public relations and reputation management consulting firm in Maryville, Tenn., announced today the promotion of Mallorie Evans Mendence to senior account service coordinator. 

Mendence – a Blount County native and graduate of Maryville High School – joined Mary Beth West in December 2007, following her graduation with honors from Berry College in Rome, Ga., with a degree in public relations, as well as completion of a summer internship with Mary Beth West and other practicum experience. 

In her position with the firm, Mendence works with the account team to coordinate campaigns for agency clients, such as Blount Education Initiative and Dominion Virginia Power.  Mendence has previously served on the board of the Community Food Connection of Blount County and currently serves on the board of the Maryville City Schools Foundation.  She is an associate member of the Public Relations Society of America / Volunteer Chapter.

“Mallorie brings qualities to her work that every young professional in public relations should aspire to, including a focus on ethics and understanding how to manage the process of real relationship-building,” West said.  “She has made many valuable contributions to our team.” 

Mendence received several recognitions while at Berry College, graduating cum laude and making the academic Dean’s list for four semesters. Other honors included being named to the Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges and being selected to Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society.

Mendence lives in Maryville with her husband, Eddie, who teaches English at Maryville High School. 

Established in 2003 and located in the Law Building in downtown Maryville, Mary Beth West Consulting works with clients to advance their communications, relationships and reputations to meet business objectives.  The firm’s services include integrated brand marketing communications strategies and campaigns; media, community and employee relations programs; social and interactive media strategies and program management; crisis preparedness; and special events.

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The Art of Collaboration

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

By Mary Beth West, APR

In this New Year – and in this new, challenging age for business – it’s a smart time to take a fresh look at the relationships your organization has in place to deliver products and services in more innovative, profitable ways. 

One way our firm has branched out in the past year is by partnering with other firms that offer highly specialized and best-in-class services that align well with the key areas of expertise that our team provides to clients.  And in fact, these relationships have enabled us to form integrated teams with these service providers that result in a unique, custom approach when meeting clients’ communications needs and challenges. 

Collaboration with others offers many ways to grow your company or organization.  Traditionally, many companies have had a tendency to keep collaborative opportunities at arm’s length – worried that working with others posed too many competitive risks. 

But of course, that’s where the trust factor enters the picture and the essential ingredient of developing real relationships with collaborative partners predicated on knowing one other well, sharing common goals and establishing ground rules – whether informally or contractually – that ensure a way to work through issues successfully.

2010 will be an exciting year as we continue to see these relationships grow for the benefit of those we serve.

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Transparency, Authenticity and the Toto Factor

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

By Mary Beth West, APR

As we wind down 2009 and look back at where our global economy has ventured since this time last year – as well as how the public relations profession has evolved in that short duration – a quick summation comes to mind:  “Get real.” 

Only in this context, I think past tense may be more apropos – “Gotten real” – because that’s exactly what organizational cultures in all sectors of business, government and industry have found they’ve had to do to course-correct and survive.  And it’s a trend that’s not going away; it’s only going to intensify. 

For all the “Wizard of Oz” fans out there, this year – and, essentially this decade – has been all about finally paying attention to that man behind the curtain, so to speak.  Starting with Enron, the terms “transparency” and “authenticity” emerged as rallying cries for the public relations profession as well as throughout all C-suite disciplines.  Today, media and communications technology have consistently made anything less than a management modus operandi of full-disclosure outrageously high-risk to corporate reputation and an ability to do business.

In effect, there are a buhjillion little Totos out there – from YouTube videos to blogs to employee Facebook posts to you name it – pulling the curtains away from the misguided Professor Marvels.  No more busy-at-the-switch with public manipulation or distracting showmanship.  It’s time to come clean and balance public interests in the larger equation of achieving profitability.

And that situation gives those of us in the public relations profession a fresh and rewarding shot in the arm.  I think we’re coming to a time when fewer of us are called upon to help employers or clients corporate-speak their way out of bad decision-making.  The media and the public just have zero tolerance for it, and the impacts have become too financially harsh and legacy-making for companies simply to ride out. 

Instead, our profession is finally emerging as one that serves as the barometer for public expectations and serves as that internal voice, advocating for our clients and employers to meet those expectations, and contributing to substantive business decision-making that delivers.  There’s nothing more transparent and authentic than that.  And it’s what makes this profession a great one, especially now.

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Tyra Haag Joins Mary Beth West Consulting as Media Relations Coordinator

Monday, August 10th, 2009

Maryville, Tenn. — Mary Beth West Consulting, a public relations and reputation management consulting firm in Maryville, Tenn., announced today the addition of Tyra Tucker Haag as media relations coordinator.

Haag will assist in the oversight of local, regional and national media relations campaigns for the firm’s clients, which include accounts in the energy, science, education, housing, interior design, non-profit and consumer financial services sectors.

Prior to joining the firm, Haag served as project director and media spokesperson for the Metropolitan Drug Commission, a non-profit substance abuse prevention agency in Knoxville, Tenn.

Haag graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville in May 2004, where she earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in communication studies and Spanish. Haag received several recognitions while at UT, including the 2004 Greek Woman of the Year award and Miss Homecoming first runner-up. Haag also held membership in numerous academic and service honor societies. Her student internship experience while at UT included working as a newsroom intern at WBIR Channel 10, followed by an internship with Moxley Carmichael public relations firm.

Haag is an active member of the Junior League of Knoxville, most recently serving as editor of the League’s annual magazine and monthly newsletters. In recognition of her service, the League honored Haag as Volunteer of the Month in September 2008 and August 2006.

Haag’s other volunteer service includes mentoring for Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee and reading to children in Knoxville’s Lonsdale community. From 2007 to 2009, Haag served as chapter president of the Knoxville Area Alumnae Chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi. In 2005, Haag graduated from the Knoxville Police Department’s 40th class of the Citizen’s Police Academy.

Haag is a member of the Volunteer Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and serves on the planning committee for the Friends of the Smokies Evergreen Ball, as well as the Knoxville coalition for All About Women. A Middle Tennessee native, Haag and her husband, Eric, reside in Knoxville with their son, Noah.

Established in 2003 and located in the Law Building in downtown Maryville, Mary Beth West Consulting helps clients advance their communications, relationships and reputations to meet business and organizational objectives. The firm’s services include integrated brand marketing communications strategies and campaigns; media, community and employee relations programs; social and interactive media strategies and program management; crisis preparedness; and special events.

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