On some issues of heavy consequence in the public relations profession, it sometimes helps to take a step back and watch the dialogue unfold before formulating an opinion.  I had been doing just that on the Susan G. Komen / Planned Parenthood controversy – until today.  Now, it all seems crystal-clear.

Like everyone else, I saw the maelstrom unfold last week throughout the media.  The manner in which the story broke and how the Komen organization reacted with a policy about-face – followed by tough criticism (“they caved!”) – provides a public relations case study that will live in textbooks throughout the next decade. 

An interesting part about it to me, though, is that different public relations professionals are drawing diverse conclusions about who’s right, who’s wrong, and what the real lessons are relative to brand, reputation and effective organizational decision-making. 

One of my PRSA colleagues, Michael Cherenson, APR, Fellow PRSA, posted an entry on the Public Relations Society of America‘s national blog, “Who Really Owns the Komen Brand?”  In it, Mike makes some spot-on observations about the nature of brand advocacy.  He also poses a critical question in his title.  

I disagree, however, with the direction of his conclusion, in which he seems to indicate that Komen simply made a bad decision to no longer support Planned Parenthood, leaving a majority of former Komen supporters feeling betrayed and turning on the brand.  

To me, the answer of who owns the Komen brand – or at least who seized ownership of it last week – is quite simple:  Planned Parenthood.  

It’s Planned Parenthood’s own brand advocates, in my view, who mounted nothing short of a hostile takeover of the Komen brand in order to railroad their message – and their way – with absolute political genius . . . the notion of tying the breast cancer prevention issue intrinsically with women’s reproductive rights vis-à-vis Komen’s prior financial support of Planned Parenthood, with a deep inference that the two cannot be separated.  

In the face of Komen rescinding its funding, Planned Parenthood made an exceptionally swift, underlying case that Komen was turning its back on women.   And the media ate it up with a spoon, as Planned Parenthood well-knew they would.  The Komen folks didn’t know what hit them, with almost total deer-in-the-headlights confusion as to the messaging subterfuge overtaking their reputation. 

I have to ask the question, was it really Komen donors who were posting all those “Never will I give again!” messages on Facebook, or was it the Planned Parenthood Army?  We’ll see what the coming days of analysis into the Internet record bears out. 

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal posted an editorial late last night that gives a far better reality-based assessment of Komen’s rationale for its original decision:

“Planned Parenthood has been and is under congressional and criminal investigation (by attorneys general, local prosecutors and various regulatory agencies in Arizona, Indiana, Alabama, Kansas and Texas) for allegations including failure to report criminal child sex abuse, misuse of health-care and family-planning funds, and failure to comply with parental-involvement laws regarding abortions. . . . It is easy to see why Komen might not wish to be associated with Planned Parenthood. Fighting breast cancer is something all Americans can and do agree on; promoting and performing abortions is something that divides us bitterly.” 

In short, there are two sides to this issue, and Komen’s side got completely hijacked. 

Another colleague of mine posted an essay yesterday that, to me, spoke with a great deal of clarity about the real issue at hand for Komen: lack of conviction. 

With characteristic aplomb, Susan Hart, APR, wrote, “Last week’s nightmare of ‘they fund us, they fund us not’ isn’t about funding at all. It’s about who the Susan G. Komen Foundation is. It’s about the organization’s values, priorities and purpose. It’s the up close and personal part of branding that decidedly determines who you are and what you stand for regardless of public sentiment.  And therein lies the multi-level problem for this pink-until-you-puke group.”

Love it. 

And she’s absolutely right. 

Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a crystal ball that could predict the future? Crystal ball or not—you can’t talk about the future of public relations without including social media.

PR really has changed a great deal just during my 17-plus years in the field. I remember working as an intern preparing news releases for distribution via only snail mail and fax (gasp!).

Now, you cannot conduct a successful PR campaign without some aspect of social media unless you want to miss a huge opportunity.

Like anything else, I think the key to remaining viable and successful is continuous improvement and reinventing yourself when necessary.

Nick Sherwin, one of my former management professors, always said, “Adapt to change or die.” Of course he was referring to a company or organization and not speaking literally, but his tagline always stood out to me and is relevant to the social media invasion of recent years.

I think any profession, including PR, must strive to continuously improve or something else better will come along and pass you by.

Author and CEO of Advanced Human Technologies Ross Dawson describes his take on the future of the PR industry (http://rossdawsonblog.com/weblog/archives/2011/09/revisiting-the-future-of-pr.html).

Dawson said, “Those that re-conceive their role and potential impact could well be masters of the universe…The continually emerging opportunities in a world of ever-unfolding public communication are still there to be seized. Let’s see if the PR industry – or others – best take them.”

My vote is for PR, but of course I am biased!

This past month, our team has talked about some common misperceptions about public relations. 

I’ll wrap up that theme by poking holes into three long-held myths that most public relations professionals encounter with some regularity, regardless of where they work.

 MYTH:  Relationships aren’t measurable. 

 REALITY:  There are few excuses companies use more not to invest in public relations, and it’s flat-out wrong.  If measurement is what you want – and, logically, most organizations do – the profession is burgeoning with tools to gauge audience awareness, attitudes, opinions and behaviors that result directly from public relations initiatives and take a company from Point A to Point B.

The key is to invest in the tools that actually provide the measurement components, and that’s where so many companies and organizations fall short.  Yes, they want it, but they don’t want to pay for it — a common conundrum.  Getting to the real value proposition of what measurement offers — not only as a way of knowing what works but also understanding how to improve — is what can sell it best.

Another point: public relations efforts are more marathon than sprint.  Genuine trust-building and reputation development don’t simply happen in a six-week blitz campaign.  Whether short-term or multi-phased, however, public relations programs worth their salt integrate some level of results tracking.

MYTH:  The message is all that matters.

REALITY:  Behavior and intent matter more.  “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!” doesn’t cut it anymore in our uber-transparent society, where every veil is so easily lifted by the power of social media.  And in truth, I’ve long advocated that any company lacking the guts to have the true intent of its decision-making laid bare to public scrutiny wasn’t a company I wanted to work with – and I still feel that way.  It helps me sleep at night.

Messages are indeed critical, and in public relations, we are certainly in the business of advocating for our clients with clear, effective messages that resonate with audiences.  However, if those messages aren’t firmly rooted in truth and good-faith intent, then your company’s problems are only just beginning. 

MYTH:  Control equals success.

REALITY:  It’s an intoxicating idea – the whole notion of interacting with any group of people where all the powers of persuasion and its rewards rest with you.  But come on. 

I once saw a t-shirt worn by John McVie of Fleetwood Mac, “Rock and Roll Ain’t Pretty, Baby,” and in a similar vein as someone who knows a particular line of work quite well, I can say that public relations efforts never unfold in a neat, tidy, 100-percent controlled fashion.  That’s simply not the reality of working symbiotically with other people – and often myriad groups of people who hold their own ideas, opinions, biases, experiences and desires. 

Where many companies make their mistake here is to hold their hand too close to the vest – “if I can’t completely control all the processes and all the outcomes, then I just won’t play in that sandbox at all.”  And it’s those companies sitting on the sidelines right now, saying nothing, not interacting – and of course, not getting noticed or advancing their brands in what is a very loud and competitive space.   They also have little basis upon which to understand how they can improve and stay relevant.

Absolute control is an illusion, and it dooms companies to failure in a marketplace where brands can only thrive if they’re down in the mosh pit of knowing, understanding and responding to their customers. 

As a very young man, I can remember when a popular radio announcer suddenly became the public relations director for a local hospital. That’s strange, I thought. What does he know about hospital communications? I was 18 at the time.

During my early years in the business, when I encountered public relations practitioners, they were all male, and a preponderance of them were former newspapermen. Many smoked cigars and were tough-talking, glad-handing people. A planned PR program as we would know it today was largely unheard of. They were reactionaries, reacting to the news related to their companies.

I thought, even though I didn’t smoke cigars, I had a real future in public relations because I was a former journalist, plus I had a college education.

Things have changed, and along with these changes perceptions have been altered about the public relations profession.

Now, according to PRSA, 75-80 percent of all public relations practitioners are women. They populate the company and agency ranks from entry level positions to senior management. Almost everyone in the field has a college degree, and many have additional accreditation from PRSA. Major universities and smaller institutions have degree programs, both undergraduate and graduate.

In recent years, major companies and many smaller ones have recognized public relations is a critical element of communications management. Gone are the times when public relations failed to be included in the budgeting and planning process. Senior managers understand how a coordinated and comprehensive public relations program enhances the brand presentation.

Public relations is a valued profession, populated by professionals. I have not met any tough-talking, cigar-smoking, glad-handing former newspapermen in years when visiting public relations departments and agencies.

It seems not only perception but also reality has changed.

From my experience, many people have preconceived notions about public relations (PR) and PR professionals; some may be correct, but some may be way off…

According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.” This definition describes PR in a nutshell, but there are many, many elements that go into supporting a true understanding of PR.

Some people base their opinion of PR and PR professionals on past encounters or relationships with other PR people. So, depending on what type of experience you had will dictate what you think about PR.

According to marketing.about.com, one PR myth states “Public Relations is Spin, Slogans and Propaganda.”

In a past life at a former employer, I actually would have employees ask me, “What propaganda are you communicating today?” While I’m sure this cynicism was driven by other factors, the idea of being a propaganda-pusher really offended me as I was communicating pertinent information about the company, which was important for employees to know. More importantly, I was communicating feedback from employees back to management, helping make two-way employee communications a crucial part of the company’s success.

Whether you are communicating with employees or the media, I think ethical behavior plays a key role in how you are viewed. Unfortunately, I know there are some “bad apples” out there practicing PR, and their behaviors tend to hurt the reputation of the larger profession to a very disproportionate degree.

Some journalists have had a bad experience with a PR person, then refuse to work with other PR people. I would venture to say that every PR person knows at least one or two members of the media like this. I really think that this is too bad since the PR and media relationship can be a win-win for all involved.

While unprofessional practices may earn some public relations practitioners their own well-deserved reputations, it’s important to remember that we are all individuals and should be judged on our own merits.

Many people are big into today’s television talent contests and reality shows, from “American Idol” and “The Voice” (where the judges are often more entertaining than the performers) to following Snookie and The Situation on E! (may the Lord help them and the NJ Department of Tourism).

While Morgan Freeman’s “Through the Wormhole” and Carl Sagan “Cosmos” re-runs are more my family’s style, I have to admit:  the Ryan and Tatum O’Neal reality series of recent weeks on the OWN Network has gotten the better of my inner family-drama voyeur.

Hollywood has always had a corner on the market for dysfunctional families, but for decades, the O’Neals have ruled that notorious roost, with the dad at the helm of bad behavior, from alleged abandonment to drug use to gun violence – all involving his kids.

One of Ryan O’Neal’s most well-known films, 1970’s “Love Story,” delivered one of the most air-headed lines to ever hit movie-screen celluloid, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

Part of the O’Neal family’s problems is that the whole clan, Mr. O’Neal especially, has wallowed in too much of that self-indulgent philosophy.  Love — or at least any form of genuine caring and concern — means saying sorry when needed, and saying it well.

The public relations lesson here (and yes, there actually is one) is that there is such a thing as an effective apology, although rarely do we see it in today’s culture.

Many years ago, I read a Psychology Today article that gave some good rules for making an apology meaningful. It went something like this:

• If you’re not sorry to begin with (you don’t think you did anything wrong to be sorry for), then don’t apologize. It will only make the situation worse by making you look disingenuous to the other party or parties who think they deserve an apology. (Unfortunately, while this rule does have merit under the right circumstances, the sociopaths of the world generally embrace it and proceed no further.)

• Assuming you recognize that you did something wrong or hurtful and indeed want to apologize for it, then first acknowledge to the offended party what you did wrong . . . and in specific terms that makes a real accounting of the hurt or trouble caused. Not “sorry I deleted your document off the hard drive,” but “I made a big mistake by getting in a hurry to clear space on the computer, and I deleted a document that you needed – one that you put a lot of time into creating. I apologize that I did something so careless.”

• As appropriate, acknowledge the hurt, trouble or disruption that the action caused, such as “I realize it will take you hours to recreate the document,” and own up to it enough to try to find a solution that will help the other person, such as “Can I stay a few hours late after work this week to help you recreate it?”

Applied to the O’Neals’ situation, this sample dialogue is almost laughable in its simplicity, but here’s another apology maxim: the longer it takes you to apologize, the longer the repair work will take beyond the “sorry” part. There’s no better way to express remorse and make the recovery process effective than to put action where the words are.

It happens about once or twice a year, it seems:  one of the most prominent multinational public relations firms is exposed for unethical practices, and the whole profession is faced with yet another perceptual mess to clean up about how public relations should be conducted without resorting to sleight-of-hand.

This past week, it was Burson-Marsteller’s work for Facebook, where according to The Wall Street Journal’s initial report, “Facebook hired (Burson-Marsteller) to try to plant stories harshly criticizing Google’s privacy practices. The efforts backfired when the firm approached a blogger who not only declined the assignment, but also went public with the exchange.”

The ethics breach hinges on Burson-Marsteller’s alleged failure to disclose the client’s identity behind their efforts, which runs opposed to the Public Relations Society of America’s Code of Ethics “disclosure of information” provision.

The provision states as its intent to “build trust with the public by revealing all information needed for responsible decision-making,” and that “revealing the sponsors for causes and interests represented” is a requirement.

From the reports I’ve seen, it appears Burson-Marsteller’s management is passing the buck, indicating that the strategy employed for its client came as a result of “Facebook (requesting) that its identity remain secret,” and that Burson-Marsteller “admits that violates its own policies” – inferring that perhaps some rogue element within the firm went off the reservation to do a client’s nefarious bidding.  As of late this past week, Burson-Marsteller and Facebook have parted ways, not surprisingly.

I myself am a Harold Burson Summer Internship alumnus through the firm’s New York office in the early 1990s, and while I remain grateful to Burson-Marsteller for the learning opportunities I received, this incident just irks me, and I’m sure I’m not the only one with previous or current company ties who feels that way.

For well more than half a century, Harold Burson himself – now in his 90s and a fellow native of Tennessee – has been a stalwart proponent of what I consider to be the profession’s most noble aims and ethics-based best practices.  His fierce intellect and thought leadership continue to provide some of the greatest sources of direction to the entire profession.  I can only imagine that it frustrates him a great deal to witness this incident.  Members of the internal team involved in the Facebook account might be reminded to have some respect for the man whose name is on the door.

So on to my point:

Public relations firms of all types, from the locally based or boutique level (like mine) to the multinationals, should be setting the examples of best ethical practices, because the media spotlight scrutinizes these companies the most, driven by their volume of work.  And of course, the larger the firm, the more intense the spotlight.

When any single firm makes a clear-cut ethical misstep – particularly one resulting in the level of media attention driven by a behemoth like Facebook – it reflects poorly on the profession as well as the entire agency sector.  Further, it sets back efforts to achieve long-term public and business-community understanding about the critical role of ethics in communications strategy.

This reality should factor into every agency’s own ethics policy, and agency employees at all levels should understand the implications for themselves, their firms and the profession itself if they veer away from the basic standards put forth by the PRSA Code of Ethics.

On a final note, agencies must demonstrate some backbone when dealing with any client that suggests (or mandates) a strategy or tactic that doesn’t pass the smell test.  Claiming “My client made me do it!” is downright lame and demonstrates no serious commitment on an agency’s part to keep their ethics m.o. in check. 

If an agency is in business long enough, and certainly if it employs scores, hundreds or thousands of people, mistakes in judgment will happen.  I’ve made a fair share of mistakes in my own career, particularly in the very early years.  Recovery from mistakes is possible if one takes a serious approach, such as we would advise a client in any crisis.

I hope that internally within Burson-Marsteller, this situation will result in a silver lining with renewed management-to-front-line awareness-building and practical focus that is in keeping with The Harold Burson Way.

Maryville, Tenn. — Mary Beth West Consulting, LLC, a public relations and reputation management firm in Maryville, Tenn., won “Best in Show” and multiple top honors at the annual awards dinner of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Volunteer Chapter on May 12 at Hunter Valley Farm.

The event also honored Kevin Painter of LeConte Wealth Management with the Community Service Award, which recognizes an individual or organization who has used public relations practices to improve the quality of life within East Tennessee communities.

The agency won “Best in Show” for the 2010 holiday media relations campaign for Dandy Lions as well as 10 “Award of Excellence” honors in the following categories:

• Public Service: Blount Education Initiative
• Media Relations: Dandy Lions 2010 Holiday Campaign
• Public Affairs/Government: Expanding Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Scientific User Community
• Marketing Consumer Products: Rainscapes
• Marketing Consumer Services (Financial): LeConte Wealth Management
• Marketing Business-to-Business: Interactive Springboard 2010 Launch Campaign
• Writing (Column): LeConte Wealth Management “Purpose-Built Portfolio”
• Collaterals (Direct Mail): Rainscapes 2010 Direct Mail Campaign
• Website (Professional Service): Rainscapes website
• Blogs: Mary Beth West Consulting “In the Profession” Blog

Joe Bogardus, Mary Beth West, Amy Schwinge, Mallorie Mendence and Tyra Haag following the V Awards ceremony.

Interactive Springboard – a collaboration between Mary Beth West Consulting and Knoxville-based Blue Media Boutique – shared top honors for the newly redesigned Avistelé website; Avistelé Lifestyle Communities is managed by Knoxville-based RenaissancePG.

 “I’m so appreciative of the clients we’ve been privileged to serve,” said agency principal Mary Beth West. “Throughout my career, I’ve held tremendous respect for the public relations profession; my team is honored with the overwhelming response by our colleagues to recognize the work we so highly value.”

Painter – a graduate of Maryville High School and co-founder of LeConte Wealth Management– was  honored with the Community Service Award.

“Kevin has been a client for three years and a dear friend for many years longer,” said West. “Of all the colleagues I have in my age cohort in the local community, I can think of no one who takes on more community service efforts to support the non-profit, social service and arts sectors than Kevin.” 

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.

By Mary Beth West, APR

We’ve focused some of our blog posts this month on the topic of public relations’ impact on local community development. 

As business enterprises in and of themselves, municipal entities and the organizations that support them – such as chambers of commerce, industrial boards and special economic development initiatives – must have a cohesive business plan in order to achieve prosperity for a local community.

Some interesting and rather challenging aspects drive how these entities must operate along these lines:

• Achieving buy-in and unity – Because of the diversity of stakeholders within any community, one of the foundational pieces of getting a cohesive business plan together rests with the buy-in part.  Different stakeholders inevitably want different things from their community’s future, and even if the end-game is relatively agreed-upon, there may be a dozen different opinions as to strategy and methods.  Strong, collaborative leadership in a community is absolutely essential in arriving at the core business plan, inclusive of goal, objectives, strategies and tactics.
• Looking long, long-term – Local cities and regions know better than any other types of organizations that you can’t just flip a switch with the creation of a business plan and suddenly achieve all you’ve set out to be.   These groups’ leaderships must be visionary in their approach, easily looking 20, 30, even 50 years into the future to develop their game plan for infrastructure development.  That infrastructure ultimately has to build, attract and retain the types of business and industry that will make their community produce the quality of life desired for current and future generations.
• Creating an effective brand – Mobilizing a city or region’s business plan with an effective marketing program represents a critical component of building the area’s future.  So few regions get to the point of creating a strategy that works.  Often, a cohesive brand and supporting message never gels because the community just can’t ever agree what they want to be or how they want to leverage their assets (i.e. the buy-in and unity problem).  Other times, the message that’s ultimately developed just isn’t authentic . . . it doesn’t ring true with the decision-makers potentially locating their businesses in the area, for example.

I participated a few weeks ago in a terrific program hosted by Leadership Blount, “Generations at Work,” which was hosted at the Blount campus of Pellissippi State.  Attendees from late-teens in age through four generations up (Millenials, Generation X, Boomers, Matures) were in attendance, all discussing how Blount County will be impacted by the needs of an age-diverse community.

Each generational group was asked to break into individual sessions to discuss what the top community priority should be.  Interestingly, all of the groups unanimously arrived at education as a priority, if not the priority, of the future.  

This type of exercise involving community members as well as decision-makers is an excellent example of how communities can launch an effort to develop a strong business plan for their futures.  For an initiative of this sort, the best public relations plan evolves from the inside-out.

As Mahatma Gandhi  once said, “Speed is irrelevant if you’re going in the wrong direction.”

Public relations creates a lasting impact for local businesses and savvy business owners to understand the credibility PR creates when implemented properly.

In an October 2010 article posted on Hispanic PRBlog, Gary McCormick, APR, Fellow PRSA, immediate past chair and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), was quoted as saying, “From other studies and anecdotal information, we have found that the strategic value of public relations continues to outpace that of other professional service industries, and that within the Los Angeles area, the public relations profession is offering an economic boost, clearly benefiting the local economy.”

Similar sentiments can be found within a December 2010 blog post on CommPro.Biz by Scott Harris, president of Mustang Marketing. According to Harris, “PR has the power to reach people in a way ads both cannot and do not, and today, when the name of the game more than ever before is ROI, PR has the solid track record.”

With this month’s blog topic surrounding PR’s impact on local economies for better business, I asked Tammi Ford, executive vice president for the Blount Partnership, the following question:

How has the Blount Chamber of Commerce used public relations strategies and tactics over the years to attract business, industry and tourism to Blount County?

Here is Tammi’s response:

The Blount Partnership, which consists of the Blount County Chamber of Commerce, Chamber Foundation, Economic Development Board and Smoky Mountain Convention & Visitors Bureau, develops an action plan for the year.  Our PR strategy is based on our yearly action plan. 

While each organization’s mission and audience are different, the end result is the same – economic prosperity.  Whether it’s helping area businesses to be successful, recruiting new business or increasing tourism dollars, the bottom line is building the Blount County economy. 

The Chamber offers a variety of benefits, services, and programs to help area businesses grow.  We develop a yearly communications/PR plan to promote these activities, which includes a monthly newsletter printed in The Daily Times, two monthly e-news campaigns (with tracking capabilities), face-to-face contact, media events and press releases to area media.  We also push information out, including member news, through our website and social nets such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Chamber blog. 

How do we measure the success of our communications plan?  Business growth, business assistance, new members, retention, attendance, participation, website visits, and social media interactions.

To promote tourism and business travel, the Smoky Mountains Convention & Visitors Bureau (SMCVB) has a yearly marketing plan coupled with a PR plan.  The SMCVB has been very aggressive in hosting events throughout the year where thousands of people flock to the area.  For these events, our PR schedule includes:  email campaigns to past festival “go-ers,” media releases, targeted tourism/travel publications, website and of course, social media. 

How do we measure success?   By the number of heads in beds and the increase in revenue for area retailers.

The Economic Development Board (EDB) uses strategies to recruit new business to the area.  One of the target audiences are site selectors.  Our organization has face-to-face time with these selectors every year, but their preferred method of communications – e-mail and website.  To stay in front of them on a regular basis, we have an e-news campaign with tracking capabilities that keeps them updated on Blount industry news.  We’ve also given these site selectors flash drives packed-full of Blount County information (i.e. demographics, maps, available sites and buildings.) 

Additionally, our website – www.blountindustry.com – won the International Economic Development Council best website award for our demographic.  The EDB also uses social nets to spread the word. 

How do we measure success?  By increased prospect activity and site visits.

The Public Relations Society of America also offers the following message point about the impact of PR within an article titled “Communicating Public Relations’ Value: Business Value and Public Good are Essence of PR Today.” Below is a portion of the article:

• A survey of chief marketing officers at major national and global advertisers conducted by the Association of National Advertisers found that the value public relations delivers as part of the overall marketing mix is increasing. Why? A few reasons. Public relations is closer to the perspectives, objectives and concerns of corporate CEOs than any other communication or marketing discipline. Public relations also sees “the whole corporate picture,” as it relates to issues that CEOs worry about. Finally, public relations is a key driver of business outcomes critical to organizational success, including crisis mitigation, reputation and brand building, consumer engagement, sales generation, wealth creation, issues management and beneficial shifts in constituent attitudes and behaviors.

When implemented properly, it seems pretty clear how impactful the public relations profession  can be while boosting the all-mighty bottom line – for local businesses and the economy.