Get To The Grapes

Meet Dave

A lot of companies simply do not ‘get’ social media. Executives ask, what can it really do for my brand? Although it doesn’t always work quite this well for every brand, this VIDEO does make a great point. Social media provides a platform for companies to connect with their target audience. Not through an ad or an article, but through meaningful relationships they have online and in person. Yes, the two worlds are merging and companies that capitalize on it will win. And those that don’t?  Well, the word relevancy comes to mind.  Just how relevant will your brand be in say, three, five or 10 years from now?

Many companies think that as long as they are not blogging, commenting, tweeting or friending, then conversations about them aren’t happening.  Well let me tell you, the conversation is happening about you whether you want it to or not. So, shouldn’t you join the ’conversation’ so you have some say about your ‘blank?’ About your brand?  There are a lot of “Dave’s” out there, shouldn’t you introduce yourself? Say hello? Answer a question? Thank them for their business? You can do all of those things via social media.  The paradigm has shifted, so it’s time to change your game plan. Video source: 22squared.

I have to hand it to Domino’s, it’s a pretty creative idea.  Now that’s one form of advertising almost anyone can “love.”

GreenGraffiti, a business dedicated to clean outdoor advertising, used a high-pressure water hose to spray the eco-friendly images into the grime on the street. The green ads were created early on Thursday, while there was a lull in foot traffic.

“This is the first time we’ve done something like this,” said Jenny Fouracre, manager of public relations for Domino’s. “It’s never been done by an American company in the U.S. before.”

GreenGraffiti is created by laying a stencil down on the street and using a power washer to clean away filth in a design. More than 200 of these clean Domino’s ads were left on the ground.

The first 250 people to hunt down the sidewalk ads and email a picture of themselves with the GreenGraffiti to Domino’s will receive a $15 gift card. Winners will also have their pictures posted on Flickr.

What’s your favorite advertising campaign of all time? Go ahead, take a moment and I’m sure you’ll come up with something.Now, name one of your favorite public relations campaigns.

Somehow, I bet the first question was easily answered, while the second one really made you think; hard. Did you come up with an answer? My guess is that most of you could not. And it’s not your fault. Advertising simply gets more attention than PR because it’s blatant. It’s funny. It’s clever, It’s in your face.

But ‘behind the scenes,’ there are powerful public relations campaigns that are garnering companies phenomenal brand recognition, awareness, traffic to their websites and most importantly, sales. Almost every business-owner and marketing professional I speak with shares his or her frustration about having to cut their incredibly creative and effective advertising campaign. However, far too often, they never mention anything about PR because they are simply not using it, or certainly not using it to its fullest potential.

So just how powerful is PR? Have you ever heard of The Body Shop, Palm or Google? These brands were built with public relations. It’s been only in the past few years that they have implemented aggressive advertising campaigns to maintain the strong brands they built with PR.

Advertising is finite. You get exactly what you pay for, no more, no less. So this means to really reach your audience, you’re going to need a fairly sizeable budget: something most companies simply do not have right now.

So for those of you with a shrinking marketing budget and a growing need for awareness and sales, my recommendation is to take a close look at the power of PR.

I often tell our clients that public relations is the most underutilized tool in marketing today. A research study by Erdos & Morgan for the American Advertising Federation found that among 1,800 corporate executives surveyed, PR was ranked third in order of importance behind product development and strategic planning — and advertising came in sixth. This is not to say that advertising isn’t important, because it is: it’s simply to illustrate the power of PR.

So, how can you tap into the power of PR? 

First, get to know your local media. Nothing annoys an editor or reporter more than someone who pitches her a story that has nothing to do with her beat. You need to not only have a good understanding of who and what you’re pitching, but clear objectives as to why that editor’s or reporter’s audience would (and should) be interested in you or your story. If you can’t answer that question with a confident and compelling response, it’s time to go back to the drawing board before making the pitch.

The easiest way to get to know the local media is to partake. Read the local paper (if it’s still around), community papers, magazines, newsletters and blogs. Watch the local news and listen to your local radio stations. Find out who is writing or covering stories in your industry and then read them. Get to know what that editor or reporter enjoys writing about and then send a story idea to her.

When you’re reading an article and you say to yourself, “That should be me,” stop wishing and get to pitching. Email the editor explaining why your story is perfect for her column and readers.

Second, just because you think your story is “news” doesn’t mean it is “newsworthy.”

To make your story newsworthy, tap into the news. Here a few tips to help you craft your story:

Holidays: If your company makes a great gadget, pitch it as this year’s hottest holiday gift. If your retail store happens to carry the latest holiday gift or gadget, offer yourself and your store to the media as a resource. If you run a restaurant, why not share a few holiday-themed drink recipes and a quick and easy entertaining guide online? There are literally dozens of ways to tap into the holidays, so get creative.

Articles: If you’re an expert in your field, offer to write an article pertaining to your profession. Whether your articles get published weekly, monthly or only once a year, the return on investment is invaluable. People want to buy from, and do business with, the best in the field, and this is one way to position yourself as just that.

Pop Culture: Celebrity news, cell phones, reality shows, Crocs, Twitter, anything “i”: iPods, iPhone, iTunes and even “IMs.” If you have a product or service that taps into anything related to pop culture, it can be newsworthy.

World’s First: Whether you have a product, service, book or technology that is the world’s first (or simply the first locally), tout what others can’t. Consumers and the media love “firsts,” new, exclusive, patented, etc., so tap into it.

Surveys: There are always surveys and “top 10″ lists available to the media, but they’re usually not conducted locally. Local is what matters, so do a survey that is of interest to your community. Make it general enough for broad appeal, but specific enough to “hint” at your subject matter. This is a great way to not only gain publicity, but also become a resource for the local media.

Associations: How do some people always seem to get invited to the best events, be featured in local news stories and be chosen to write articles? They join associations, which enable them to broaden their network of friends and professionals. In doing so, it allows them to tell their story to more people, which often has a compounding effect. If you want to get your story out there, you need to start by getting out.

Human Interest: Make it about people. If you make a heart monitor and want it covered in the news, don’t tell the media what it’s made of, how accurate it is and how long it took to get it patented (yawn). Instead, talk about the little girl whom without it might not be with us today, about the grandmother who has enjoyed that past three years with her grandchildren because of this incredible technology or the father who is enjoying playing baseball with his son for the first time in two years. It’s about people. Whether you’re selling a product or service, remember, it is emotion that compels consumers to buy, and it is emotion that the media like to cover.

Blogs, online forums, seasons, how-to’s, public speaking, newsletters … there are literally hundreds of ways to generate press coverage for your company. 

So, while your advertising budget is invariably shrinking, start thinking about how you can begin growing your public relations activities.  Often times it’s more efficient and effective than any other form of marketing communication.  And most importantly, unlike advertising, it’s really infinite.  There’s no telling where one good PR pitch might take you. 

If you want a little attention, run a clever ad campaign. If you want sales and long-term success, tap into the Power of PR. 

Sacramento Professional Performance®  Magazine: Vol 17 No. 2

Printed with permission by Sacramento Performance®  Magazine: http://www.theperformancemagazine.com/ 

David Holmes, SWA rapping flight attendant

Southwest Airlines continues to garner positive press by hiring great employees.  It’s one thing to have a well-written mission statement or great ad campaign, but it’s another thing entirely to actually live your brand promise.  Southwest, although not perfect, is certainly better than most airlines. Yes, they cram you on a plane and only feed you three peanuts, but at least they do it with a smile – which is much more than I can say for most airlines. Why do people fly Southwest? It’s cheap and no frills. Yet somehow, it’s the only airline that manages to ‘exceed’ my expectations when I fly. That doesn’t happen when I book my ticket online. It happens at the personal level. It happens when I am greeted with a smile at the ticket counter. It happens when the flight attendant actually smiles when I ask for six peanuts or more water. And it happens when they tell me during their safety announcement that I can store small children in the overhead compartment.

All the advertising in the world will not fix one of the most important elements of building a successful brand – your people. I mean really, what’s more endearing than a rapping flight attendant?  The guy has garnered close to 2 million views on YouTube and has been featured on CNN, Fox News and other major networks.  Now that’s great branding and PR. No matter what your musical taste, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this: Southwest Airlines’ rapping flight attendant