Posted: May 14th, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off
By Sarah Hawley
This weekend I went to what was called a “press event” in Malibu. Then it was called a “celebrity gifting suite.” Then it was called something else. Then a small Eastern European woman told me something in an accent that I couldn’t really place. But, I digress…
The venue was gorgeous. The food was *amazing*. And the people were beautiful.
But what about the press? Or the celebrities?
The former was non-existent. There was one outlet that had a margin of applicability for the audience the vendors, including my client, were trying to reach (mothers interested in buying eco-friendly products), but we had been told to expect a significantly larger – and more targeted – media presence.
Also, not a fit? The “celebs” that attended. Maybe I’m a nut, but since when did a friend-of-a-friend that had 30 seconds of air-time on “The Hills” speak directly to mom’s interested in BPA- or phthalate-free sippy cups? Or a nine year old from “Glee”? Don’t get me wrong – I would love to be a) as cute as, or b) as self-possessed as this wunderkind, but she, again, does not speak to the core demographic the vendors were trying to reach.
I went home and thought about it. I was surprised by just how much a beautiful venue and the delivery of quasi-celebrities made some really smart, well-educated and downright scrappy entrepreneurs lose their senses. After the event many of the vendors were atwitter about their brush with fame and their excitement that the event overlooked the (admittedly) gorgeous Pacific Coast.
But where in this group of “make it happen” business people was the thought that the audience didn’t reflect what they were selling? A few of the vendors were able to see past the buzz of crab cakes and pretty-boys to realize that the audience they had paid for was not delivered. And I have faith that they will take it up with the event organizers who promoted one thing and delivered another. But most of the others drank down the “pretty” and were satisfied. I have a feeling when they get home and realize that they sank a good chunk of their Q2 marketing budget into an event that will yield nary a sale, and then they’ll wake up from the fog that Malibu cast over them.
When they do wake up, what should their next steps be? First, they have to think about audience in the future and that requires accountability from the event organizers to provide detail about who’s attending instead of accepting the party line of “I don’t want to name names in case they don’t show up.” Second, they have to go back to basics. It may sound elementary, but each of us need a reminder course in the basics every now and again. This time it’s this: understand that focusing on audience is something that must be continuous throughout PR, and broader, marketing programs. Whether it’s an event like this, a speaker position, or a specific journalist, being targeted is essential to making sure your money is spent well and the results come. Audience is everything and no organic pancake or Ironman 2 extra is going to change the fact that relevance is critical to your success.
Posted: October 6th, 2009 | Author: admin | Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off
By Sarah Hawley, founder and principal of Mockingbird Public Relations.
Hi, all. I’m your last guest blogger as our dear Aly is just about back from maternity leave. I have to admit I’ve been having a bit of anxiety about what to write. Something about people reading my inner thoughts suddenly makes them seem completely blasé!
But, after some false starts, I came back to a thought I’ve been tossing around. The Gut. Yes, mine is full of a fabulous lunch from Four Peaks, but that’s not exactly the one I’m talking about. I’m talking about the Gut that is my divining rod; the one that helps me navigate when all other signs are pointing in circles when I really need to go straight. Each of us has one and I, personally, think that it’s an under-utilized PR tool that has led me on some remarkable career journeys.
In many ways I think that the Gut is just as important to the PR discipline as a media directory, a really well vetted target list or the ability to write a compelling pitch. Unfortunately, in the quest to please clients and generate results, the Gut can sometimes be ignored, told to be quiet or just simply forgotten about. How many times has each of us not pushed back when a client has chosen to submit the wrong abstract for a large speaking engagement? Or agreed to go to a journalist with a story suggestion with a twinge deep down that a) the writer won’t be interested or b) the company isn’t 100% ready to tell the story?
These lapses in judgment can be attributed to a number of things such as not wanting to ask what seems like an obvious question or being afraid you’ll lose the client account if you don’t “please” them (read: do what they want you to do). Most of the time, however, the client will be in a better position if you stop, center and listen to what the Gut has to say. If you are experienced enough to be interacting with clients on decision making, then odds are that the Gut has a good number of years backing up its counsel. If you don’t trust the Gut’s level of expertise on a topic, do what a former boss of mine used to say, “Go ahead and ask the dumb question. Just ask it in a smart way.” And, if you are making decisions that are fear-based, well, that’s another problem for another blog post.
Keep in mind, I’m not advising you to move forward with every knee jerk reaction the Gut has. Rather, ask the little fella what he thinks, allow him time to give you a solid answer, and stop to listen. Compare his answer to your knowledge and to the question at hand, and most times, if you’ve done your homework and know your space, your internal barometer will spout off an answer that you didn’t know you had in you.
And, remember, if the Gut is taking his own sweet time giving you an answer, don’t be afraid to take him out for Four Peaks’ Tap Room Tenderloin sandwich in beer bread to talk it over.
Posted: September 20th, 2009 | Author: admin | Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off
The following is a guest post from PR Consultant & Author, Linda VandeVrede, who blogs for www.valleyprblog.com and www.lindavandevrede.com
After I earned my master’s degree in communications, I took the road less traveled by, and that has truly made all the difference. Instead of choosing consumer PR or hospitality PR, I attended a seminar at Boston University led by then-Computerworld editor, Paul Gillin. What I heard that night convinced me to choose high-tech PR as a career path. Here are five reasons (of many) why this field ROCKS.
- You’re always on the cutting edge of new technology. You never have to worry about playing catch-up, because if you work in high-tech you are constantly surrounded by the latest developments in software and the Internet. It gives you a huge leg up over your counterparts in the consumer, construction, financial services, and legal industries.
- The media and bloggers you deal with are for the most part, razor-sharp. Unless they happen to work for a newspaper, which are sometimes behind in the equipment they supply reporters, your target media are familiar with technology and social media to some degree, and more approachable than other industry segment editors. Many of them are on twitter now and like to be approached that way.
- You get to travel to cool tech cities like San Francisco and Boston, rather than Detroit, Cleveland and Atlantic City (with apologies to all my friends there!)
- Everyone in the field is used to rapid change, so as a PR professional it’s easier to get your executive team to try new PR strategies and tactics because the market changes on a dime.
- The pay is higher right out of the gate. I had two job offers in 1984 when I completed my graduate work. One was for $18,000, working in the financial aid office/PR office at Boston University’s College of Communication, and the other was for $26,000, working for minicomputer company Data General in Westboro, Mass. I didn’t have to think twice about that one.
