Success on a Soapbox

An interview with a journalist takes time. It takes time for the PR team to secure the meeting, arrange the logistics, prepare the spokesperson, brief the journalist. And the spokesperson will have to take time to prep and have the meeting. It’s frustrating when all that investment in time results in an article without the spokesperson in it.

One of the biggest disappointments is when the spokesperson just doesn’t seem to have anything interesting to say. They’ve nothing to add to the argument, no vision of the future, and no evidence to support what they do say.

If you think you’ve wasted your time then the journalist will feel the same. And you’re not likely to be on their list of people to call for a comment in future.

If you don’t know why you’re doing the interview – you probably shouldn’t be doing it. Consider the publication’s audience and what they might be interested in. Work out early what key points you want to get across and think of the proof you have to support what you say.

In the simplest terms, spokespeople need to See it … Say it … Show it.

See it
Journalists are looking to write what hasn’t been written before. Feature articles review the landscape, look to the future, and reveal unknown trends. An expert spokesperson should be able to future-gaze. Before you meet with a journo, take time to think about what you see in the industry. What’s going to change? And how will that affect the customers and the market?

Say it
Your key messages should be worked out in advance. You’ve got something to say to the publication’s audience so work out what that is. Try to come down on one side or another of an argument. If you have to get permission to be outspoken then get it. Avoid marketing scripts but instead prepare what you want to say with the audience in mind. And speak. Don’t just answer the question as quickly as possible and sigh with relief when it’s all over. Really say something.

Show it
Your business is innovative? How so? You are changing the nature of the industry? Who else agrees? Attend an interview with something to back up your statements. Follow up by providing the results of research, the name of an industry expert who can support your view, a graph that lays out the landscape.

Make every interview count. Plan to perfection. Get on your soapbox and I’ll get off mine.

Tooth and Nail

There are 47,800 PR people in Britain. That’s twice the number of NHS Dentists. That’s double as many people as those licensed to give you a manicure. That’s 13 PR professionals for every company listed on the London Stock Exchange.

It’s a wide sphere of skills and ability – ranging from those that can really help transform your business to those who you wish you’d never met. If you’re looking to hire a PR agency or a PR consultant how do you know that you’re picking from the top of the industry? The process is rarely straight-forward but it must start with a clear picture from you of what you want to get out of PR. Marketing in general is a discipline that is full of vague guidelines for measuring success. But if you know your business well enough you should have an idea of what you want to change. Perhaps it’s better name awareness so the sales teams find it easier to connect with prospects? Perhaps it’s industry recognition for the innovative work your organisation is doing? Perhaps it’s traffic to your website or an increase in sales of a particular product?

It’s interesting that PR agencies talk about success in so many different ways. Measuring the advertising spend equivalent (sorry, you’ll never get me to buy into that), counting cuttings, before and after media audits. There are numerous feel good factors about appearing in print too – better staff morale, assisting recruitment, customer satisfaction. They’re all valid. But for most organisations, the PR spend is justified by the impact it’s going to have on the bottom line.

It sometimes seems that organisations want PR because their competitors have it. Some organisations are unprepared for the contribution they will have to make, uncomfortable with the revelations and demand for opinion, and unsure what the real point is. But there are 47,800 people fighting tooth and nail to convince them that PR is the answer.

It’s only ever the answer if you’ve actually worked out the question.

Know your business objective before embarking on a PR campaign. The best PR professionals can help you devise a strategy, can create compelling campaigns, can get you noticed. But without a true goal in mind you might just as well get your teeth cleaned or your nails done.

Very Superstitious

The more volatile the world becomes the more we rely on forecasts, predictions, and calculations. Whether it’s a turbulent economy, a new market, or the launch of a breakthrough product – marketing strategists cling to their research reports like crystal balls. Gartner, Ovum, the CBI, the EIU – who you get your predictions from and which ones you build your strategy upon depends on your industry. And for marketing people, as times get tougher, the assumed behaviour of the ABC1 crowd becomes a life-raft. But it’s getting harder to predict. How will the bling-bling society behave when they’re strapped for cash? Sensible (switching power suppliers and maximising current assets) or speculative (investing in the high risk returns, refusing to give up the luxuries)?

How can you predict the unpredictable? Complex economic models provide a comfort factor to prop up a multi-million pound strategy but the reading of tea leaves might be as helpful.

It’s times like these that people start relying on magic. It’s a recognised human behaviour that can be traced back to the caves. “Should we hunt on this side of the mountain?” “Only if the clouds are shaped in a certain way.” “Shall we move the flock to safer ground?” “Red sky at night – shepherd’s delight.” “Do we fight in the morning?” “The entrails from this slaughtered goat will have the answer.”

In The 1984 California Management Review, Martin L. Gimpl said, “superstitions are the vehicle whereby charismatic leaders provide feelings of certainty in otherwise uncertain times.” And superstitions can deliver great results. Choosing random locations to hunt based on the results of cloud formation or cracks in burnt bones (like the Native Americans did) reduces the likelihood of overhunting one area or teaching the animals to avoid predictable hunters.

How many PR and marketing folk rely on ‘rules of engagement’ that no longer apply? Press releases only go out on a certain day of the week – headings must be X words long – it’s more difficult to get hold of a journalist on a sunny day? Real or random – the confidence of someone with inside knowledge can’t fail to impress the client. But it’s only the results themselves that provide the answer. So measure them. This week, next month, year by year. If someone’s superstition is bringing you a great communication campaign then keep going. If the report and research-fuelled strategy is getting customers to beat a path to your door then don’t stop now. Action is always better than inertia – especially during the tricky times.

But don’t really be fooled by the magic. It’s not real, you know.