Strategic Public Relations

2006-07-01T09:56:00.000-04:00

This is a feed from my other blog, The Bad Pitch Blog. Check it out!

2006-07-01T09:53:00.000-04:00

This is my old blog, my current blog feed is below. Click a link!

2004-01-27T12:36:00.000-05:00

Soft Launch

Well, I wanted to unveil the new site with some kind of fanfare, but I fear this will stop me from ever switching over to Strategic Public Relations' new home.

Goodbye Blogger and Hello Typepad.

You can now subscribe to my RSS feed. All SPR posts reside at this new site, but it will take me awhile before I completely shut this one down. Change is hard.

So be sure to update your links, bookmarks and the like. There is a new post waiting for you.

2004-01-20T12:22:00.000-05:00

Brand Play

The battle for customer attention continues as marketers seek out new ways to grab your attention and traditional approaches bring diminishing returns. New approaches range from conventional—finding new ad real estate and new tchotchkes—to controversial and fun.

We’ve all seen the Orbitz banner ads that encourage you to belly flop into the pool, hit the baseball or throw the snowball. Gartner analysts see this blend of advertising and entertainment increasing. Advergames are a new advertising option and an extension of edutainment. Our agency has created edutainment games designed to reinforce key messages in a fun and engaging way. An example might be a game designed for a client’s sales force to conduct new product training. It is no surprise to see this tactic extended to customers, as traditional advertising gets noisier, and seemingly nosier, than ever.

In fact, PhaseOne Communications has quantified the ad clutter on television in a new report. The research shows that the number of primetime commercials nearly doubled in the last 20 years. For every three hours of programming, nearly an hour of this time is filled with ads. Wow. TiVo will be glad to hear these statistics.

And this saturation will escalate. In fact, advertisers are now placing these costly television spots online to leverage their investment and fully surround specific audiences.

These "advancements" increase the public relations challenge and its importance. More paid advertising means less room for editorial content. Our pitches are now competing for an even smaller piece of real estate. This does not mean ads are taking our place—quite the contrary.

Third party, editorial content (media relations) is key to bringing credibility to advertising. This content serves as a brand's credentials—proving out advertising messages with specific examples. And as any disciple of integrated marketing will tell you, these tactics work best when they work together.

2004-01-13T10:01:00.000-05:00

Blogs: Grass Roots Power

Finally, we see a positive news article showing the possibilities of blogging. It is no surprise this piece comes from the Online Journalism Review.

In the article "Iranian Journalist Credits Blogs for Playing Key Role in His Release From Prison," Mark Glaser interviews Sina Motallebi. Motallebi credits his release from prison to "Iranian and American blogospheres coming together to get publicity and thousands of signatures on an online petition."

Here's the bottom line from Glaser: "Call them self-referential. Call them elitist. Call them blowhards. Call bloggers whatever you want, but you can't deny that they can make a difference, especially when they band together for a serious cause."

2004-01-13T07:02:00.000-05:00

Martha Stewart & Public Relations

The mini-blog is now live. So click here for more information on Martha Stewart & Public Relations. Or, sigh in relief as there will be no more Martha Stewart-related posts on this blog. It's a good thing.

I suspect the new Martha blog will be temporary. Once the trial ends, I will certainly stop updating it.

The new Strategic Public Relations blog, complete with RSS feed, is currently in beta testing. You'll hear more about that yet this month. In the meantime, stay right here for current posts. Now I have to go register the two new sites with about 40 gajillion blog search engines. Oy.

2004-01-09T13:08:00.000-05:00

Search Engine Strategy

Tired of the G-Word yet?

Well, the nifty tool known as Google is keeping public relations interesting. In fact, several public relations blogs recommend we learn search engine strategy. This tactic is part art, part science and ALL moving target. The rules dictating which sites appear high in search results change as quickly as search engine strategists learn how to bend these rules in their favor.

But there are several approaches to Web content a public relations person can take to ensure their client's site appears higher in search results. Some of these tactics involve more formatting than editing, but they are critical as paid search engine listings are increasing.

Paid search engine listings make an already competitive piece of real estate—the first page—an even tighter space to appear in. As these pages show more paid listings, ads and sponsored results, search engine strategy will help attract target audiences to Web sites.

This is just one more reason to make friends with your agency's media planner. Work with your media planner to determine if paid listings make sense for your search engine strategy.

The media planner overseeing your clients' ad buys can prove invaluable to nearly every public relations effort. They offer the media advertising revenue—online and offline. As a result, they can negotiate value-added services along with ad space. From research and event sponsorship to use of an opt-in mailing list, the value garnered through a media buy can boost the effectiveness of public relations tactics.

I'm not referring to media relations, rather, access to publishers' resources that help promote public relations efforts. "Church and state" should remain separate.

2004-01-08T11:59:00.000-05:00

Trade Show Gravity

You will likely find a trade show at the center of the business to business marketing universe. Trade shows bring an entire industry—from manufacturers and customers to media and industry influencers—into one spot to learn what’s new and what’s next.

Trade shows hold more influence on the b to b purchase decision (56 percent) than even the Internet (46 percent) according to Hill & Knowlton research. In my experience, trade shows are usually one of the top three lead generators for b to b marketers. It is also one of the top three marketing expenditures.

Why are they so important?

Brand Awareness: Think about it. To sell our products and services, we employ an array of tactics to reach each specific target audience. A trade show brings nearly every audience—external and internal—together for a few days. It is key that your brand is represented at these shows.

Product Development: Trade shows drive product development. It offers you the chance to unveil a new product in front of the entire industry and give customers, and prospective customers, another reason to purchase.

Lead Generation: Trade shows offer the best opportunity to narrow the purchase decision. Complex, considered purchases are made by an average of seven people. A high level of evaluation and due diligence is conducted to ensure the best choice is made. Trade shows allow customers to do all of this at once and in person.

Sales: Depending where a customer is in the purchase decision cycle (from awareness, interest and evaluation to preference, trial and maintain), they may be at the trade show to make the purchase.

We’re seeing an increase in trade show marketing—hopefully another sign the economy is recovering.

A colorful example is this year’s Auto Show. This leviathan is three-weeks long, with each audience segmented into specific attendance schedules. GM realizes it takes more than a slick tchotchke to generate booth traffic...especially at a show of this magnitude. GM began promoting itself well before the show, first with the American Revolution campaign. Then it went all in, announcing a $50 million car giveaway billed as the “largest in industry history”.

GM is clearly being aggressive to stand out from competitors at the show. Brand awareness will be high, but will new, and free, cars stimulate sales? Clearly GM hopes so. As we discussed before, car manufacturers face a unique set of marketing challenges and opportunities. The Auto Show offers impressive examples of how they respond.

2003-12-31T11:34:00.000-05:00

More to the Point

David Byrne may be the best thing that ever happened to Power Point. Case in point: CNN updates us on Byrne’s use of Power Point to create modern art (emphasis on modern).

We first learned of this back in August from Wired magazine’s point/counterpoint.

When CNN wonders if Power Point makes us stupid. Google’s Peter Norvig notes that people, not Power Point decks, drain the life from a meeting. I agree, but still offer up B 2.0’s helpful tips on how to make 2004 more Power Point friendly.

2003-12-31T09:38:00.000-05:00

Round out the Old, Round up the New

It gets pretty quiet in between Christmas and New Years…even in the media. At year’s end, we see a lot of roundup stories. From the "best of the year" to the "year in review," it is interesting to look at a year's worth of news and comment. Not to mention, it makes wrapping up a year's worth of work easier in an otherwise slow news period.

In the trades, on the other hand, we see supplier listings. Supplier listings are editorial-free, advertising-driven phone books that no one really references in the coming year—despite what the ad reps might tell you.

But I digress. This year’s roundup stories are mostly product-related. This is a boom and a bust for public relations folk, depending on who you are.

Boom: Ad Age singles out the top ten product launches of 2003.

Bust: Fortune singles out 2003’s best technology, as well as a product of the year (which is also tech-related). But Fortune then goes on to name the worst technology of 2003?! eek. This helps show that all publicity is not good publicity.

It is a shame Fortune singles out Diebold's paperless voting considering the impetus for creating this technology was more intense than a million hanging chad bonfires. But this article is unfortunately the calm before the storm for Diebold. After this article ran, USA Today reported on some security flaws with the paperless voting system.

Self-Policing roundups of note: LA Times journo, David Shaw, conducts a review of his industry. And Tom Murphy at PR Opinions has created a comprehensive public relations year in review.

This rounds out your roundup of, uh, roundups? Enjoy.

2003-12-22T07:04:00.000-05:00

Holiday Miscellany

As the holiday winds down, so does the traffic at work-related sites. Posting here will continue through end of year, but it will be spotty. It is my hope that you are all so deeply engaged in your own "Rockwellian" Holiday that you have no time for the Internet—much less sites like this one.

Santa Strategy: Larry King will be chatting with Martha tonight about her "saddest holiday ever." Stewart is pulling on holiday heartstrings so people will characterize her as a normal person. But she goes a step too far in my opinion. This from CNN:

Though she grew up in a modest household in New Jersey, the daughter of a schoolteacher and a pharmaceutical salesman, Stewart said her subsequent wealth has not changed her much.
"My priorities have kind of remained the same. And other than having a few more luxuries than I might have had, my life is the same.

A few more luxuries? You rang the bell on the NYSE when you took your company public. If anything, you are doing yourself a disservice by saying nothing has changed since you grew up in the middle class, hard-working world. Fine, your hard work ethic has not changed, but your life? One look at your sprawling country estate says different.

Bookish on Blogs: This playful piece from blogger on getting a book deal out of your blog is interesting. So-called star Wil Wheaton did it, why not you?

I'll tell you why. This idea further inflates the egos of A-List bloggers and puts delusions of grandeur into the heads of the B-, C- and D-Lists. It is not surprising to see this as Blogs are an extension of the publishing world. We'll probably even see some public relations tomes evolve from this section of the blogosphere. For those of you that are Accredited in Public Relations with the Public Relations Society of America, you can actually maintain your accreditation by authoring a blog. Check with national. It is a fact. But even so, does your content merit a book?

Happy Holidays.

2003-12-17T07:51:00.000-05:00

Movie Marketing

Movies provide us with an endless supply of word-of-mouth and viral marketing best practices. You've all noticed movie theatres pushing the preview profitability envelope. The slide show ads start even before the previews and now the previews include everything from public service announcements to plain old ads. Surfing past "Cat in the Hat" banner ads, plush toys and cleaning supply promotions, this post is about Spiderman 2 promotions.

The savvy promoters at Sony are using blogs to promote the movie. The movie does not hit theatres until July 2004, but you can already read the production assistant's blog, check out 360 degree pics of the production set, see the usual teaser trailers, and download blogger templates to turn your blog into a Spiderman ad.

Templates bypass the promotional pitch taboo and bloggers' ad-posting aversion. The Spiderman templates let people show their affinity for all things Web (groan) while subtly promoting the flick—more than a simple screen saver or wallpaper download.

Leave it to a property with comic book roots to take advantage of blogs in a completely visual fashion. We've always focused on promoting ourselves in blogs through plain old text.

Now you can go back to your Lord of the Rings marathon, complete with useless comparisons.

2003-12-16T14:11:00.000-05:00

Seth Godin on Blogs and RSS

Per usual, Seth Godin encapsulates a hot topic into quick quotes. The author of Purple Cow was asked in this Reveries interview if Blogs were a fad.

The 'hey let me tell you about the flowers in my garden' model of blogging is not long for this world. I do believe, however, especially when you start adding RSS to the equation, that you can use a blog to engage large numbers of people in conversations that may not have the impact of permission marketing, but don't have the annoyance of interruption marketing.
You can say to people: Look, I'm not going to show up in your e-mail box every two days with something that you may not want to hear about. But what I will do is create an ongoing monologue that's focused on you. Whenever you believe it's appropriate to take some time catching up, this is a good, cheap way for both parties to have that interaction.
When you add an RSS feed to it, people can have a little aggregator in their windows where they can stay current with the information they want, whether it's brands or writers or journalists. They can create their own private channels.

Speaking of channels, remember when they said the Internet was the next CB Radio?

"10-4 Good Buddy."

2003-12-09T12:38:00.000-05:00

World-Class Marketing

Ah, there’s an oft overused phrase for you—world-class marketing. I’ll note that world class’ initials also stand for waste can, water closet…you get the idea.

World-class marketing sounds great, but what does it mean?

CNN takes a stab at defining it in their annual Global Influentials special section. Selling to the World covers the obvious need to customize marketing strategies based on local lifestyles, cultural differences and more. One of my favorite passages notes why companies usually fail at doing this:

Arrogance or ignorance can foil a company's bid for global success, especially those who fail to understand what worked in the past, or in its home country, might not work everywhere.
"The issue is knowing what your product stands for, while being flexible in terms of what the local culture can accept," said Peggy Mitchell-King, a senior consultant with Morgan Anderson. "You may have to step back and say, gee, we are not the center of the Earth."

The key is having a well-defined brand and the willingness to customize your marketing strategies—and sometimes the product itself—to fit the location. How well defined is your brand?

It reminds me of an idea from veteran marketer Jim Taylor on product positioning—"instead of a product differentiation, focus on a product's point of distinction. Customers will make the safest bet and buy the product with the least amount of risk. Rather than make your product appear different—read: an unknown quantity—make it stand out from its field of competitors. Make it the best at what it does."

You might say, make it world-class? Or perhaps industry-leading? Insert your favorite buzzword here.

2003-12-08T10:40:00.000-05:00

Blog Police

To help curtail the rampant blogosphere navel-gazing, I offer the following articles.

Bill Thompson brings up some excellent points in Blog eats blog.

"...any group with influence needs people outside that group who will criticise it. In the real world of politics and society, journalists do that - proper journalists who know what having principles means, who aim for objectivity while accepting that it is unattainable, and who are open about who pays them and who they work with. [snip] Yet the blogeoisie and their acolytes dismiss 'journalism' and those who practice it, arguing that the direct reporting of events is the only thing needed. As Dave Winer says: 'The typical news article consists of quotes from interviews and a little bit of connective stuff and some facts, or whatever. Mostly it's quotes from people. If I can get the quotes with no middleman in between - what exactly did CNN add to all the pictures?'
This isn't about not liking blogs. It's about not liking unaccountable concentrations of influence, about believing it is still true that 'the first duty of the press is to obtain the earliest and most correct intelligence of events of the time and instantly, by disclosing them, to make them the common property of the nation' - and about noting that 'most correct' does not mean 'what the blog says'. What is happening…in the world of the bloggers, needs to be reported and commented on by those who haven't bought into the worldview. Sadly, this does not seem to be an acceptable activity."

Part of our inflated self-importance comes from the free ride we are taking with Google. The next article, How bloggers game Google, has a conspiracy-theory tone to it, but I guarantee you that my traffic has been boosted by high Google page rankings. This is depressing considering my traffic. However, I do not think this phenomena has anything to do with Google owning Blogger. Google’s algorithms were already kind to Weblogs before the purchase.

These articles were written in May and April, respectively, and I just found them. This is noted as more evidence that I too commit blogging sins.

Let’s make a New Year’s resolution to create content that has substance, structure and meaning.

2003-12-04T00:28:00.000-05:00

Celebs, the Web and Public Relations

Marketing Wonk points us to a great article at Online Journalism Review on how Martha, Michael and others are using the Web as a spokesperson. OJR expands on the topic and offers additional insight into how the tactic blends legal and public relations strategies.

2003-12-02T11:03:00.000-05:00

Change is Afoot

If you're reading this, Blogger is back up. The service outage is a sure sign that Strategic Public Relations needs to move. So I have signed up with a new blog hosting service to upgrade and offer you an RSS feed.

Once the new house is in order, I will unveil the new address so you can update bookmarks, edit links and subscribe to my feed as you see fit. Until then, keep your browser pointed here.

Strategic Drift Begets a Blog

I'm also creating a sister blog for all of my Martha Stewart public relations content. The Stewart thread was taking on a life of its own and impacting Strategic PR's focus. So I have two new blogs I am working on. Both should debut prior to the Martha Stewart trial beginning on January 12. There is nothing quite like a deadline to motivate.

2003-11-25T09:26:00.000-05:00

Defending Premium Brands

The larger the brand, the more audiences a company must consider. Marketing communication challenges for Fortune 250 companies are more complex than merely cutting through the noise to get awareness of your carefully crafted message. You have more than just customers and competitors with which to contend.

Take McDonald’s. One would think landing your company in Webster’s Dictionary would be a brand coup—firmly cementing your company into America’s lexicon. But in this case, the accomplishment is having the opposite effect.

The 11th edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines McJob as a low-paying job with few prospects for future benefits or promotions. McDonald’s CEO has gone on the defensive, but Webster folks stand by its standards for adding words to the "best-selling hardcover dictionary on the market."

Another example…Boeing fired its CFO recently. The action makes perfect sense. But the extensive headlines this has garnered shows us the heightened attention being given to corporate behavior. A few years ago, Boeing doing the right thing would not have made so much national news.

2003-11-25T09:22:00.000-05:00

Web Page as Spokesperson

Michael Jackson unveiled a Web site to issue official statements regarding his case. The media circus following him makes this an easy choice over holding press conferences. But the site is not helping his case.

My personal feelings on this case aside, a one-way communication approach is a step above no-comment and silence strategies—a barely discernable step. The site has no e-mail link and no method of contact listed for fans to show their support—a critical error. This eliminates Jackson’s ability to promote the support he might receive. Look at Martha Stewart’s Web page as spokesperson strategy. In less than six months Martha’s site has received 15 million hits and nearly 70,000 e-mails from supportive fans.

Jackson’s absence of contact information connotes guilt and that he does not care what his fans think.

2003-11-21T15:41:00.000-05:00

Influencer Fan Mail

Stopped by Barnes & Noble to soak up the periodical rack—nothing like a sea of mastheads and cover shots to get your media relations adrenaline pumping.

Of note is Popular Science. December's issue features Pop Sci's annual Best of What's New feature.

Blogging's impact became quickly apparent as I started reading through the colorful, glossy pages. Pop Sci now searches the Web for blogs linking to its Web site. It reads through them and posts content from a select few. Imagine running a blog on career management, linking to Fast Company and finding your thoughts published in Fast Co's print version.

What a great way to acknowledge a key influencer group. In the process, Pop Sci quickly generates relevant content. It is great to stumble across "Blog meets World" examples like this in publishing. I'm sure there are plenty of others.

2003-11-19T08:35:00.000-05:00

Marketing vs. Engineering

One of the many classifications you can slap on a business to business client is whether their company is marketing-driven or engineering-driven. Marketing-driven companies cull sales and customer service input, analyze sales trends and conduct research to identify new product opportunities. Engineering-driven companies also do this. Occasionally they also introduce a product less because the company “should” (new product meets unmet market need), but more because the company “can” (new product brings latest innovation with it).

Both types of companies have their benefits. If I find a company with a perfect blend of each focus, I will have found the perfect client.

You could take a similar approach to business to business media outlets. Are they advertising-driven or editorially-driven? This is most discernable with the trade media. I’ve had editors cross the lines separating church and state to discuss advertising opportunities alongside editorial opportunities. Others are so blunt as to outline their pay for play rules. And at the bottom of this list are editors who express dismay when you pitch them news and have no intention of buying ad space. At best, we call these third-tier publications. They might make your mailing list, but you do not try and build a relationship with them.

These trade media anecdotes help build the case for creating a custom publication—a topic for which I could create an entirely separate blog.

National media rarely, if ever, have these issues. Segue to some new looks for national news outlets…Washington Post’s Web site has a simpler, more effective design. Steve Outing notes it is a good move for the paper to help its online readers consume content and more easily access the site’s value add—interactive content.

CNN, on the other hand, made a minor tweak to its home page that simply tweaks me. As you can see, the headline and image for the home page’s top story have traded places. The change was made to accommodate the banner at the top of the page. More than an inch tall, this billboard promotes CNN’s offline programming. The flip-flop took place to ensure the increased ad space did not bump the headline from first view. Hey, my home page defaults to CNN. This minor change was major for me.

So CNN was looking out for me with this decision. But Washingtonpost.com clearly demonstrates that less is more. Mega sites like news outlets undergo an evolution where the site gets bigger and clunkier as content competes for precious first-view real estate. Then a new look and feel unveils a cleaner, simpler design. Hopefully CNN’s advertising-driven move, albeit trivial, will give way to a new design somewhere down the road.

2003-11-18T08:51:00.000-05:00

Sweeps and Martha Stewart Updates

Here are some updates to previous posts at Strategic Public Relations.

Nielsen Under Fire: Network execs are not seeing the results they expect and are questioning Nielsen’s credibility. Nielsen’s relationship with the networks and its lock on measuring their programs makes for a touchy situation. Of interest in the article is the question of whether Nielsen can keep up with the proliferation of new networks, channels and alternative media. A valid point, but this reads as a tactic to call Nielsen further into question more than to solve the issue at hand.

Stewart Wins Battle: But what about the war? Washington Post dissects the ABC interview and reinforces Martha’s high and low points in it. It supports what we’ve seen all along. Hopefully the onset of the Christmas shopping season and Martha Stewart’s January trial will make for an interesting mix of K-Mart ads and pre-trial communications strategy. Will she end things on a high note with the Barbara Walters interview or will we see something else?

My last sweeps note below talked about the Jessica Lynch and Elizabeth Smart overkill. It even made news when Smart pulled in more viewers than Lynch. So it was good to see a lead on ProfNet from the Associated Press on marketing tragedy. The AP wonders if we should put victims into the spotlight. And I have to wonder along with them.

2003-11-11T07:53:00.000-05:00

Technology Marketing

When I started reading Adweek's Technology Marketing (TM), it was still called Marketing Computers. Good times. IMHO, TM is a great read focusing more on marketing's big picture, using tech examples to illustrate their assertions. So I was disappointed to read the print edition is being folded into Brandweek.

It's not a surprise based on the technology publishing carnage we've witnessed. This might even be a good fit considering TM's focus. Not to mention, Brandweek, Mediaweek and Adweek look as similar as their titles sound. Lay the three publications side by side. The ad buys and insertions are nearly identical. This publication meld will be a good way to differentiate Brandweek.

From Strategic Public Relations' Google file: BusinessWeek, reports $10 million in VC funds invested in Google in 1999 is now worth $2 billion. That same $10 million invested a scant 12 months later is now worth $300 million. Wow.

2003-11-10T13:40:00.000-05:00

It’s Not a Good Thing

The Martha Interview kicked off sweeps this weekend. It was a masterpiece of the Martha Stewart public relations efforts to date. Even the Save Martha and Martha Talks Web sites were mentioned prominently. Hopefully potential jurors saw it—her trial begins on January 12.

Martha was on strategy, distancing herself from MSLO. In fact, the interview went to great lengths to show Martha Stewart as a person.

If you are going to be perceived as a victim, you must first be perceived as accessible, normal, less than perfect—real. The interview did just that. It took place at her home, it included a tour of her hometown and it included plenty of childhood pictures.

The interview brought up some excellent points, from the fact that she has already lost half of her $1 billion fortune to the fact that she could be innocent. Editor’s Note: The public relations strategy around the Martha Stewart crisis is my focus—not her guilt or innocence.

She ended the piece with an adaptation of her trademark phrase and noted "it’s not a good thing." Well done.

Regarding her K-Mart ads that had me thrown for a loop, I was looking at the ads from the wrong standpoint. At the end of the day, K-Mart and Martha Stewart need each other to sell products and make money. K-Mart’s decision to use Martha in its ads, and Martha’s decision to appear in them, are both business decisions. And in business, "it’s all about the benjamins."

2003-11-10T12:25:00.000-05:00

THE New Product Introduction

If The United States Department of the Treasury is hiring, count me in. It all started back in 1999 when The United States Mint unveiled a 10 year plan to introduce new 50 State Quarters into our pockets and piggy banks.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing got into the action last month when it unveiled new $20 bills. Bills bring more public relations issues with them then coins, but so far they seem to be widely accepted.

And now, the Mint is back with a new nickel design. This is the first, er, change to the nickel in 65 years. So it should be interesting to see how this money news, um, unfolds.

2003-11-10T12:24:00.000-05:00

State of the Blog

Some pointers to content on our favorite topic. Blogs and Ads? It reads like DoubleClick for blogs is coming soon to a banner near you. Will this grassroots medium sell out?!

Ad: Tech, or should I say, Blog: Tech went down recently and guess which topic was one of the hottest?

2003-11-05T21:51:00.000-05:00

Trick Questions

Strategic Public Relations is trying out a new polling mechanism. It's below the archive on your right. After discussing how sites are using polls as content, I thought it might be an interesting addition. So be sure and vote.

2003-11-04T09:58:00.000-05:00

Brand Commoditization

iMedia details the Web’s influence on consumer brand perceptions. Nothing shocking in the results. The Web also impacts business to business purchases—despite the differences between consumer and b to b purchase decision cycles. Even a considered purchase like an ERP software platform can be influenced and commoditized by the Web.

Hard to believe companies can narrow a field of manufacturers with a few clicks, but it’s true. The key is making sure your brand speaks louder than a performance specification. Does your brand capture the value your product/service brings to the table?

Brandchannel offers some great resources on our favorite topic. It even allows you to vote for your favorite brand. Check it out.

2003-10-29T11:34:00.000-05:00

Cincinnati's Participatory Journalism

Cincinnati is hosting its own review of the phenomenon below within independent media. Independent Media Exposition 2003 will cover “DIY Publishing, Blogs, Webzines, Net Radio, Minority Voices in the media and much more.” This event will be interesting as audience-created content is clearly at home at the independent, grassroots level.

Note: The IME mention above is a direct result of someone pitching this public relations blog. IME did their research and sent a targeted, low-pressure pitch to me via e-mail. The end result is a link back to their site, per their request.

2003-10-29T11:16:00.000-05:00

Participatory Journalism

There’s already a ton online about this topic. PR Opinions does a fine job of showing where. Here is Strategic Public Relations’ take on the topic.

The We Media paper uses Nicholas Negroponte’s online news customization theory to introduce how online media is evolving “from me to we” thanks to new technology. Interesting examples of audience-generated content I’ve seen include CNN’s QuickVote.

QuickVote asks one question related to a recent CNN news story. You see the results upon voting. The sample is unknown and an individual answering multiple times could easily skew the results. But no one is planning on using the results to support an assertion—QuickVote is merely content related to the top story.

Yahoo News and MSNBC allow readers to rank content. Readers note the importance of a news story and you can quickly see which stories are getting the most attention online. CNN shows story popularity by tracking how often stories are saved, e-mailed and printed.

Steve Outing provides an example of how the audience is completely redefining “man on the street” interviews. It is reality content that might actually be useful and it takes advantage of new technology.

Bottom line? Participatory journalism is changing news from all sides. Audience-created content gives stories a new dimension—enhancing them and extending their shelf life. This is just for starters as We Media notes “the intent of this participation is to provide independent, reliable, accurate, wide-ranging and relevant information that a democracy requires.”

See the First Amendment for more details.

2003-10-28T14:55:00.000-05:00

Sweeps Strategy

We all know the saying, “if it bleeds it leads,” in relation to the types of stories that get news attention. It seems the worst news gets the best media coverage.

This maxim seems most accurate during sweeps season. Around November 1st, national and local ratings are most closely monitored for a few weeks. The results help set network and affiliate ad rates for the coming year. This can translate into some circus-like news coverage.

For example, not only will we see made-for-TV movies on Jessica Lynch and Elizabeth Smart, we will see exclusive interviews with each person. Even an interview with my friend and traffic-magnet Martha will air next month.

The momentum of this cycle is too massive to try and change. Public relations folk should merely steer clear—despite the temptation to take advantage of it. This brings to mind two related examples. One involves tying your product/service/client/news to a larger, tragic news story. We have read about poor taste pitches trying to tie in with 9/11. The California wild fires could unfortunately bring more of the same.

My client has received media inquiries connecting their product to the fires in a positive fashion. Rather than take advantage of this disaster, we have merely answered each inquiry with a short statement. We are doing no pitching around the connection.

Unrelated to sweeps, a TV station offered airtime for cash. This pay-for-play tactic is usually only seen with smaller trade publications. Its appearance in electronic media is unfortunate, but not surprising.

There are plenty of bad public relations performances—most in an effort to get coverage. Take the high road even if it seems like the media are waving you on. If it does not feel right, it isn’t. Coverage is fleeting. Our character is our career.

2003-10-22T23:29:00.000-04:00

Satanic Strategy

This is not a Halloween post or a stretch for relevant content. It's an ad for my mentor, Steve Kissing.

Running from the Devil is his first book. It's "a funny, poignant, memoir following the saga of Steve Kissing, an epileptic boy who believed he was possessed by the devil for eight years. A quirky kid of the '70s, he begins hallucinating in the fifth grade, and he was certain Lucifer was waging an all-out war for his soul."

Steve was interviewed today on the Diane Rehm Show. Some well-deserved, national attention. You can listen to the interview here.

Then you can buy the book. Read about "the Prince of Darkness versus the Prince of Dorkness." You'll enjoy it.

And with that, we now return you to regularly scheduled programming.

2003-10-17T16:22:00.000-04:00

Curve Ball

Martha has thrown me for a loop folks. She'll appear in a new K-Mart ad debuting during this weekend's World Series.

Side note: I'm bummed the Sox and Cubs won't be playing in the Series. But, where would we be without their curses?! Each team's curse is a thread woven tightly into their respective brands. You come to expect it. It makes you an even bigger fan.

Martha and K-Mart's strange marriage makes MSN wonder if any publicity is better than none at all. It also asks who needs the publicity boost more—Martha or K-Mart?

Regardless of the answer, it will get both camps more attention. This news has me scratching my head—up until now she has been distancing herself from her company. But it is good to see some twists and turns in the Stewart saga.

2003-10-16T10:18:00.000-04:00

Elevator Speech

Blogs have been a hot topic at work lately. Our Internet folks in particular have taken a shine to them. As a result, I've created an elevator speech on what blogs mean to public relations. An elevator speech is the bottom line, the quick pitch. I've also heard it referred to as your 25 words. If you are pitching a script in Hollywood, you have to be able to sum it up in 25 words or less without oversimplifying it.

This technique should be standard practice for anyone in business. If you cannot quickly and concisely sum up the value in a story idea, product or service, your persuasive ability deteriorates.

But I digress.

Blogs' Importance to Public Relations

News Gathering: Newsreaders pull content from your target blogs to your desktop. This allows you to aggregate news more easily. Blogs help us know the news.

News Placement: Media Map lists more than 250 blogs in its database—250 niche outlets we did not have a year ago. Blogs offer more client placement opportunities.

News Distribution: Assuming the strategy permits a blog, a client's blog offers its own RSS feed (I know, practice what I preach). Blogs help us distribute client news.

Client Positioning: A client's blog helps get their messages and point of view to target audiences—bypassing a media outlet. Blogs help us establish our clients as thought leaders.

So, cut and paste or print this out. Take the bold and italicized parts of the list above and you too have an elevator speech (35 words, but this is not Hollywood). Now sell it.

2003-10-14T09:37:00.000-04:00

Fast Cars, Big Brands

A co-worker has noted for months that Mitsubishi should come out with a CD mix. The tunes it picks to promote their newest models inevitably turn into rehashed hits. Business 2.0 has also been listening to this musical marketing trend. B2.0 notes it all started with Microsoft launching Windows 95 with the Rolling Stone’s "Start me up."

Per usual, the tech industry is the pioneer. Then a second industry steps in to make it de rigueur. But there is more to look at here than the usual innovation cycle.

The Big 3 have unique opportunities and challenges when it comes to branding.

Opportunity: Most obviously, automakers’ massive marketing budgets allow them to connect their cars to popular songs. They can also create unique co-branding opportunities. Take Apple and Volkswagen. With every VW Bug purchased you now get a free iPod. Thankfully the iPod plugs into the car’s speaker system—sidestepping the safety issues associated with wearing headphones while driving. In the process, they plug into a younger, digital-music-loving audience.

Challenges: You will not buy a car to get the Starbucks coupons included in the owner’s manual. Nor will a song get you to lease a new car. Automakers know this and are also making statements with unusual car models.

It started with the Plymouth Chrysler Prowler and, more recently, the PT Cruiser comes to mind. Then the ultra-expensive models were unveiled—Dodge Viper, Cadillac 16 and now the $150,000 Ford GT.

All of these cars are cool to look at—as they speed by my subtler model. But consider the money that goes into developing a car. It’s a pricey gamble to defend the value of your brand. But it is fun to look at the cars and listen to the music as the Big 3 continue to roll the dice.

2003-10-13T15:03:00.000-04:00

Set Your VCR

The last time Martha was interviewed on TV, she was focusing on her salad. ABC News.com notes Barbara Walters interviewed her for a story that will air on 20/20 in November.

Surely the interview is designed as pre-trial ground cover.

2003-10-13T13:18:00.000-04:00

Channel Surfing

Monday brings us plenty of news to start the week. We have a public relations pro sounding off against the media at Media Bistro and BusinessWeek compares advertising and marketing.

Both articles are interesting—especially considering these topics appearing in these outlets. My only wish is that BW did a comparison between advertising and public relations. I assume that article would mix church and state too closely. But it would be interesting to see how the media compare the two.

Instead I will leave you with a typical over-the-top article from the New York Post. This one concerns Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's stock price. The only reason I link to it is that it brings some light to Martha's old silence strategy. If you have nothing good to say...

2003-10-10T15:33:00.000-04:00

MARTHA—the update

Consistent referrals to SPR from "Martha Stewart + public relations" searches made me curious about the latest Martha news. Since traffic logs driving content translates into giving readers what they want, here are my findings.

Overall, the wheels of justice are still turning. According to Yahoo News, her civil case will proceed along with the criminal case claiming she obstructed justice. In all fairness, U.S. District Judge Sprizzo notes this is not the most serious case of obstructing justice he has seen. He also wonders why prosecutors use so many press conferences to discuss the case, which begins on January 12.

Martha Talks continues to focus on her as a person while updating you on the trial. She currently shows a picture of her celebrating her mom’s 89th birthday. The picture is to keep reminding us she is a person, not a company. Distancing herself from MSLO is key to helping preserve the brand and not allowing her current legal issues to impact MSLO business performance.

Unfortunately this strategy is not working.

The New York Times reports that Martha Stewart Living is cutting its rate base by 22 percent due to declining readership. Thanks to Media Map’s new blog for the link to this story.

In defense of Martha, Martha Stewart Living and MSLO, her current legal issues are not to blame for most of the readership decline. Competition from other publications, a glut of new home shows like Trading Spaces and retail promotions are the more likely culprits.

Yahoo News tracks Martha for us. I added the link to your right.

So what's next? My guess is that team Martha and the prosecution are both planning feverishly for January 12 and the circus that will surround this case. I know this clown will be watching.

2003-10-07T12:38:00.000-04:00

The Recall Eclipse

Public relations professionals everywhere are sighing relief as the California Recall comes to an end. The Recall seemingly eclipsed other news in the past few weeks. USA Today notes it has received “unprecedented national TV coverage for a statewide election, receiving more airtime on the Big Three networks than the White House race.” The Tyndall Report claims it came in fourth place last week.

But there are public relations lessons to learn from the Recall. Media relations campaigns should be run like political campaigns.

Story of the Day: Whether we liked it or not, there was *always* a new story to be told each day of the campaign. Most of us will not have a new, newsworthy story to tell about our company, client, product or service each day. But we should establish a steady rhythm of communication with our media contacts. You establish yourself as a source and you get in the habit of digging for relevant news to send them by doing this. Current events and industry trends often hold a follow-up story opportunity. If you have established yourself as a source, media will either approach you to do a story or pay more attention to your pitch for a follow-up story.

Shaping Messages: A lot of time and attention is spent on the messages we distribute. But we should not consider them sacred cows once legal has *finally* signed off on them. Your industry might not be as fast-paced as politics, but you may need to change your message based on external influences. Candidates’ messages changed accordingly as the field shrank from more than 130 candidates down to two. Post-debate, when it became clear it was a two-horse race, Arnold and Davis went from discussing their party contenders to focusing solely on each other. All promotion turned on a dime to support this new strategic focus.

Instant Feedback: An army of pollsters provided instant feedback on the success of the candidates’ every move. We cannot tap into this Herculean resource, but we have plenty of intelligence we can use to determine the need to change our messages. Top early warning systems include customer feedback, or lack thereof, and response from influencer audiences.

Thought Leader: Positioning your CEO or other spokesperson as a thought leader puts steak behind the sizzle. When Arnold unveiled his 100-day plan, his campaign gained credibility and momentum. An opinion is worth 80 IQ points. If your CEO or spokesperson does not have a point of view on key issues, you need to establish one with them and reflect it in your work as appropriate.

Don't be fooled by the three-ring circus political campaigns become at times like this. Even a circus has a ringmaster orchestrating the spectacle.

2003-10-07T11:55:00.000-04:00

Blog Blather

The results are in from BloggerCon...blogs do not suck. GASP! Industry events can devolve into a mutual admiration society. Since a blog is second only to a mirror when it comes to must-have vanity tools, I’m betting Bloggercon was no different.

That aside, Poynter notes that The New York Times is predisposed towards establishing a blog. This is good news for public relations professionals. While tech journalism blazed the blogging trail, if THE Times takes it up, the rest will surely follow. PR Opinions offers more background on this topic.

In other so-called news, Media Post reports on the latest attempt to map the blogosphere. The research also revisits the fresh blog vs. stale blog discussion.
Perseus estimates there are 4.12 million blogs on eight hosting services. But the research company estimated that 66 percent – 2.72 million – haven’t been updated in two months and that 1.09 million haven’t been updated since the first day. The average duration for an abandoned blog was 126 days, according to the survey of 3,634 blogs. The study was done for the BloggerCon 2003 conference.
This is “déjà vu all over again” and not news in my opinion. The same thing came up when Web sites were new en route to becoming standard. “Keep your Web site updated. If it does not have fresh content, it will be considered a ghost town.” This ad nauseam thought is circa late 1990s. We will surely see more similarities between the evolution of Web site publishing and blog publishing.

2003-09-29T07:38:00.000-04:00

CRUNCH Time

A two-year long project comes to an end this week. I'll be quite busy as a result.

There are several topics I want to write about, including Publication Product Lifecycle, Brand Commoditization and Laws of the Network.

So stay tuned. Thanks.

2003-09-26T10:47:00.000-04:00

The more things change...

PR Techies everywhere are rejoicing that the Red Herring is back in black. Hopefully their balance sheets will stay there too as they cover "issues related to the global industry in Internet technology. " It will be interesting to see how nostalgic purists weigh in on the new Herring since it is under new management.

BusinessWeek is revamping its design for the first time in 20 years. The "first" issue hits newsstands Monday. It will be great to see the new design. Hopefully it will be more substantive than the WSJ's over-hyped "redesign." It was a well-done, welcome change to THE national business daily, but it was really more of a tweak than a redesign.

2003-09-25T13:52:00.000-04:00

When will I offer RSS?

Several folks have asked where they can locate my RSS feed. Sadly, I do not offer RSS—yet.

When Blogger added several features to its free service, I hoped RSS would be included. But it was not to be. So it looks like I need to pony up some dough. Thanks for the feedback. I will add RSS to this site.

Steve Outing notes how RSS is quickly evolving and he foresees media Web sites offering beat-specific RSS feeds. This will occur, as it will increase feed subscriptions. A happy, captive audience translates into an advertising opportunity. We all know, "the first one's always free." And I'll bet media outlets offering RSS feeds will look at how to generate income from this service. If they are not already talking with news aggregators about this, they should be.

The beat-specific approach reminds me of the "my Web site" customization craze. The ability to customize your home page and filter out irrelevant content has been around for many moons. It has gotten scores of people to register with sites like Netscape, Yahoo and MSN. When will Google offer customization? At this point, they should go straight to RSS.

Aggregation, customization and blogs...OH MY!

2003-09-25T12:40:00.000-04:00

Brand Models

Is your company's brand a star, problem child, cash cow or a dog? Well odds are good it could be more than one of these models over time.

Brandweek has a great article on finding the Seabiscuit in your brand portfolio...essentially dusting off a once great brand, revisiting what makes it special and turning a poor performer into a growth opportunity.

This is a great growth strategy for larger companies with several brands. It has been proven out by another trend of reviving extinct brands like Indian Motorcycle.

An old brand can learn new tricks.

2003-09-10T14:22:00.000-04:00

Consuming Content

All good writers know the right visuals can make the strongest piece more impactful—from simply putting a document on stationery to full-blown layout and design. The goal is to make it easy for readers to consume, and digest, the content. Web sites have always taken advantage of the medium in this regard.

It started with offering documents as .pdf files and offering printer-friendly versions of content. Now "e-mail to a friend" and "download to pda" capabilities are de rigueur. Poynter’s Outing notes how this is evolving to include text messaging and instant messaging. The tools are so useful some sites use them as membership incentives. Register with the site and you get access to printer-friendly versions of content.

These "bells and whistles" can appear to be the use of technology for technology's sake. But the best approach is to consider your audience when evaluating how you present content.

Take Design News for example. DN caters to the design engineer and recently revamped its print edition. In the process of surveying its readership, it realized readers were wired enough to enjoy a purely digital edition as well. It has since offered the magazine in print or digital format and increased its circulation in the process. This is also a great case for research-driven strategies. DN changed course based on what it learned and was more successful as a result.

2003-09-08T08:52:00.000-04:00

Does Google Know the News?

An interesting article on Nielsen and Google News shows us the top 20 news sites as rated by Nielsen (scroll down). It will be interesting to see if RSS throws yet another wrench into Nielsen's numbers.

2003-08-29T12:49:00.000-04:00

Blog Census

Blogcount has some interesting research on the blogosphere. It defines an active posting frequency as eight weeks.

Eight Weeks? This makes me feel better about my posting frequency, but eight weeks is too long.

Posting once to a blog every eight weeks and calling it active is comparable to showing six episodes of a TV show in a season and calling it a series. The medium simply promotes frequent posts.

Regardless, check out Blogcount to learn more than you ever cared to on blog specs.

2003-08-27T08:35:00.000-04:00

Chomping Loafer

A while ago, I ranted about everyone being gaga over Google.

"It's not a verb, merely a search engine!"

Since that time, I have come to realize why everyone is so effusive. So I will officially eat my words and note that I use Google News Alerts, and the Google-owned Blogger to bring you this very blog. I can also define Counter-Googling.

As my final act of penance, I will point you to this USA Today article about our friends at the Googleplex. With 75 percent of all Internet searches taking place on Google, perhaps we should consider making the word a verb.

2003-08-25T00:21:00.000-04:00

Point, Counterpoint

WIRED is still a good read after being in print for more than a decade. Its latest issue debates PowerPoint. Personally, I prefer Edward Tufte’s take that the presentation software is evil. Musician and artist David Byrne considers it an "artistic agent" and loves using it—for everything BUT presentations.

Byrne’s affinity for .ppt is no surprise. You would like it too if one of your songs was bundled into Microsoft’s XP platform. The Rolling Stones probably dig using Excel to chart investment performance and Madonna surely cannot live without Internet Explorer to stay current on Stateside news.

Trust someone who has committed some of the sins this article details—PowerPoint IS evil. The average presentation file size is reason enough to stop this software (PowerPoint is the best thing that ever happened to Intel). Clicking through slide after slide and simply reading them is brutal for everyone, no matter what is written on them.

Tufte notes PowerPoint "elevates format over content." It certainly can with everything from Word art to slide transitions.

If your presentation is concise, substantive and audience-focused, you are halfway there. Content is king, but my CEO also stresses the need for theatre when presenting. Rather than rely on PowerPoint to engage an audience, the individual must do so. Your timing and energy shows the passion you have for the work you are presenting. Passion is contagious and it will deliver your message.

Remember that you are telling a story. Make it one your audience will want to tell after the presentation.

2003-08-21T12:40:00.000-04:00

Plan Early, Plan Often

Good news. U.S. unemployment is the lowest since February 2003 according to Reuters. This news was brought forth quickly by the government to show the blackout did not affect employment stats. Unfortunately, CNN tells us that you are 25 percent more likely to lose your job after Labor Day as companies prepare their 2004 budgets. September budget planning is a topic I have discussed in the past.

Marketing teams should already be reviewing 2003 efforts and results to fuel the most informed 2004 planning possible. You do not want a budget to define strategies.

The CNN stat is a chilling reminder of the need for a buttoned-up, research-fueled plan incorporating success measurements. This allows you to review your accomplishments during the planning process—rather than defend your actions.

In other news, P&G is launching a $100 million marketing campaign to promote its heartburn drug Prilosec. $100 million sounds like a lot, but the stakes are high for companies moving a drug from prescription to over-the-counter. Much in the way prescription drug patents are used to maintain market share, an effective product launch helps do the same.

P&G is infamous for its launches and it will be interesting to observe how ubiquitous the heartburn drug becomes—from Web banners to point of need sampling. Don’t be surprised if you are approached by a Prilosec Procurator when grocery shopping for your Labor Day barbecue. P&G is an expert at pushing your buy button.

2003-08-15T10:19:00.000-04:00

Pitching Strategy

Steve Outing touts Laura Goldberg's ability to pitch his blog over at Poynter. And while this is a very specific example, there are some overall points here that apply to pitching blogs—and any other media outlet.

Give it time: Clearly Ms. Goldberg has been keeping Mr. Outing posted on B2.0's articles for some time now.

Give it selectively: Rather than taking the "kitchen-sink approach" and pitching Outing on every article in each issue, Goldberg only sent him relevant articles to consider.

Give it specifically: By sending very specific content over time, Goldberg established herself as a source with Outing. It finally paid off.

Bottom line: public relations practitioners are either in denial about blogs, or confused on how to approach them. Rather than blame this on the fact that blogs are a new medium, I point the blame at us.

Public relations practitioners need to continually hone their media relations approach. Let's face it. This is not rocket science—the fundamentals always apply. Between that and a little extra effort, we should be able to do much more than adapt to any new medium. We should be able to capitalize on them.

2003-08-13T16:09:00.000-04:00

The Considered Purchase

One thing differentiating business to business marketing from consumer marketing is a product’s price tag. B to b purchases, like machine tools or enterprise software, usually start in the six-figure range. This is why the average b to b sale involves seven decision makers.

Companies do not make six-figure purchases on a whim. Depending on company size, everyone from the end-user to the CEO weighs in on the decision. This is why b to b marketers call them “considered purchases.”

Consumer goods are a bit cheaper and less risky to buy. A mentor of mine says it best. ”If you buy the wrong tube of toothpaste, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. If you make the wrong considered purchase, you can lose your job.”

And while the price tag might require different marketing approaches, one thing is universal across marketing. Price almost always weighs heavily in the decision.

Right now in the consumer arena, cheaper store-brand products are challenging consumer brands. According to Fortune's recent article, Brand Killers:

“An almost imperceptible tectonic shift has been reshaping the world of brands. Retailers—once the lowly peddlers of brands that were made and marketed by big, important manufacturers—are now behaving like full-fledged marketers.”

It will be interesting to see how the consumer packaged good manufacturers respond.

2003-08-13T16:01:00.000-04:00

Think Global Act Local?

An interesting article from across the pond raises questions around global branding. It's about time.

"Think Global, Act Local" looks great on a t-shirt, but few people really do it in marketing.

I'm not surprised this article came from Europe and not the United States. Europe has surely been the beneficiary of some really bad global brand campaigns that were created in the United States before falling short in local markets.

Take it from someone who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. We are an ethnocentric nation. As a result, we are at a severe disadvantage in creating messages simple enough to be understood internationally while still being compelling and effective.

Which reminds me...does anyone know how to say "lose weight now, ask me how" in Portuguese?

2003-08-07T22:03:00.000-04:00

The Rules of Engagement

"Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men."

David Ogilvy was one of the wise ones. His quote brings to mind a more frank observation I once made of someone.

"He knows the rules, but he does not know how to play the game.”

This person spent an inordinate amount of time following exacting procedures. He would not accommodate for unique situations or waver from his observation of the rules. He spent more time documenting why something did not work, than he would have spent merely adjusting his approach to reach his goal. If he had taken David Ogilvy’s quote to heart, he would have accomplished twice as much in half the time.

Do not let the rules stop you from meeting client’s goals. And I am not proposing you break the law, breach ethics or compromise your character and integrity. I am simply saying if you push on a door and it won’t open—give it a pull.

2003-08-07T21:41:00.000-04:00

CEO’s Cuddle up to Brands

A CEO survey conducted by Identity 3.0 finds CEOs spend 34% of their time personally investing in their companies' brands on average. The survey found that 93% of chief executives identified themselves as the company's chief brand steward, and 77% of respondents placed ownership of the brand squarely with the organization and its employees.

Sound too good to be true? It probably is. This news created more questions for me than anything, so I went to Identity 3.0’s site.

My main question—which companies were surveyed? Fortune 500? How big? Which industries?

I’m curious to know which CEOs believe in the brand. How do they define a chief brand steward's role?

As of this post, there is no content supporting this survey. I’d bag on them for this, but they do have a nice piece on measuring the brand. So check it out until we learn more about the CEO research.

Identity 3.0 may make me eat my words. This won't be the first time. A coworker is slowly convincing me that Google is—GASP!—more than a search engine. Baby steps.

2003-07-29T14:14:00.000-04:00

Brand Map

One way to make sure your company is not a victim of brand anarchy is to put steps in the planning process that ensure each tactic clearly ties to the brand and supports it. This can be done with a planning document designed to bridge between brands and tactics

This “brand map” clearly establishes how the tactic supports corporate goals. More importantly, it is used to show that the tactics must support corporate goals and be measured. We discussed the need to measure across tactics consistently. A brand map supports this effort and defines these metrics. The end result is much more than a set of identity standards to follow. A brand map serves as a planning tool that ensures marketing dollars are not wasted on efforts that do not help a company achieve its goals.

At least two of our clients rely on brand maps. One client refers to them as Brand Implementation Standards (BIS). Another client refers to them as Brand Execution Guidelines (BEG). I offer up a third name —Brand Operating Overview (BOO). BOO is designed to scare the competition. Fine, you won’t find that one on acronym finder anytime soon.

Whatever you call it, a brand map is a substantial step in the planning process that ensures all marketing efforts represent the brand efficiently and effectively. Far too often at the project level, we lose touch with this.

2003-07-27T15:17:00.000-04:00

12 Months & Counting

It is a year to the day that SPR began. Thanks to all visitors—frequent and accidental. Thanks also to Martha Stewart. Searches on her public relations efforts must land me pretty high in searches. My log files show a lot of referrals from this. Most of all, thanks to Tom Murphy for shining a light on my site. The traffic and e-mail exhanges are appreciated.

CNN is noting the debate over displaying photos and video of Saddam's sons in the news. Some heavyweights weigh in on this including our friends at the Poynter Institute.

2003-07-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

How to Handle a Sensitive Subject

We have all been bombarded by pictures of Saddam’s sons lately, or at least knowledge of these pictures. It is good to see some guidelines for handling this sensitive situation on Poynter.org (Poynter Pointers?). It is good to see logical considerations to make on a very emotional subject. I wish these very guidelines were used during the 9/11 coverage as well.

2003-07-24T00:40:00.000-04:00

Measurement Gets Serious

CoreBrand and the Bank of New York are now distributing stock research that uses brand equity to help formulate investment recommendations PR Week reports.

This is huge and, CoreBrand claims, the first time brand equity has been integrated into stock valuation.

CoreBrand has been measuring brand equity as a percentage of market cap for awhile now. SPR reported on this a year ago. But in this latest news, it is estimated that a company’s brand is responsible for up to 20 percent of a company's total market capitalization. 20 percent. Too bad marketing does not get comparable budgets, eh?

This statistic, compared against our budgets, shows the value marketing can bring to a company. And yet, marketers aren’t *really* measuring their results. Every marketer wants to provide “data points” that show a return on investment. The above news makes this holy grail—measurement of the creative discipline—even more coveted.

But year after year, marketers simply do not measure all of their efforts. The efforts that are measured do not yield consistent data that can be compared against other components of an integrated plan. Ads use readership surveys, public relations placements use ad equivalency, Web sites use traffic and trade shows use leads—qualified and unqualified.

So before we proudly note a brand's financial heft, we need to slow down and revisit the path to proving this out.

Align marketing tactics to the strategy. Keep all tactics focused and clearly supporting your strategies and objectives. Do not allow brand anarchy to rear its ugly head.

Measure comprehensively and consistently. Measure each effort and choose one metric you can track across all efforts. Qualified leads are a great choice. But can you track all of your efforts through the lead generation pipeline?

These steps put you in a position to provide data points that can really prove marketing's effectiveness. But even then, you need two years before you can really show improvement against a baseline. Details, details.

CoreBrand’s deal with Bank of New York bodes well for us. It is not as flashy as using publicity and earnings to measure celebrity, but it does not have to be. CoreBrand helps show marketing’s bottom line impact. If marketer’s realign their efforts and measure accordingly, the opportunities are endless.

2003-07-19T13:09:00.000-04:00

No Go for Joe

Here's a quick update to my "Strategy—with a Kung Fu Grip" story below. The original GI Joe prototype, the very first action figure, failed to sell at auction.

Well, there's still a lot of value in the strategy lessons CNN's first news story taught us. Check it out below.

2003-07-19T01:20:00.000-04:00

Strategy—with a Kung Fu Grip

CNN reports the prototype for the original GI Joe is going on the auction block—bids will begin at $600K. In addition to expensive toys, this news story reviews some classic strategies.

First off is the classic razor/razor blade strategy. Companies sell the razor/primary product at a low price to gain market share. The companies make money from the volume sales of the razor blades/related product—the blades are bought frequently on an ongoing basis.

GI Joe’s creator realized Barbie makes most of its money off the accessories. The razor/razor blade strategy has worked well for many companies, but not most dotcoms. Appropriately enough, the now defunct Industry Standard discusses razor/razor blades as it applies to dotcom business models trying to build an install base.

The other strategy I’ll call “What’s in a name.” While Barbie is a doll, it was clear boys would not play with dolls—especially back in the early 60s. This realization transformed GI Joe from a doll into the first action figure. He created a brand new product category in the process. The rest is history. You can point to similar examples, starting with cologne and perfume, and they all point to the power of naming.

Hard to believe there is so much story behind a doll, er, action figure. Well, now you know. And remember, GI Joe always says, “knowing is half the battle.”

2003-07-15T09:11:00.000-04:00

Brand Anarchy

Why is everyone so ga ga over Google? First we abuse the English language and use the word as a verb. Now we see Yahoo and Overture merging to take aim at the uber-engine. This should be interesting as I am tired of hearing people gush over Google. It's a search engine people!

As the headline notes, this post is not to rant about search engines. It is about a great article in this week's Brandweek on Brand Anarchy.

We see examples of the concept quite frequently. We also call it "strategy drift" or straying from the strategy. It starts innocently enough when an opportunity presents itself that doesn't quite fit into the existing strategy. You proceed with this project and set the precedent for future projects to break the rules. The next thing you know, you are planning a new integrated campaign after the last one lost its focus.

The waters muddy by not following your strategy closely. If you have been thorough in creating your strategy, stick to it. All good processes revisit the strategy annually to tweak it as needed.

If an opportunity comes your way that does not support this strategy, don't do it. It might seem great, but will it further your cause? It certainly won't help you measure campaign results consistently.

Similarly, don't implement an off-strategy tactic simply because "we've always done it over the years." This year you need to make a change. Habitual marketing never helped a company set financial performance records.

2003-06-30T08:24:00.000-04:00

The Economic Eye

One of my bosses taught me to use my "economic eye" when creating pitching strategies. Ask yourself, "how does this story impact the business world?" If you cannot answer the question, you either need to read up on current events or revisit the pitch.

There is plenty of good news right now for us marketing types. The advertising industry is recovering and there are still plenty of good examples of marketing.

Take Krispy Kreme for example. Fortune details how something as simple as a doughnut has exploded into a profitable stock and uber-brand. How? NO advertising. Word of mouth, product placement and loyal fans have placed Krispy Kreme at the top.

A colleague once told me "doughnuts make you smarter." Well, studying Krispy Kreme's marketing strategy just might do so.

Brand Icon (Brand Daddy?) P&G always provides a great read on what's new in marketing. Its CEOs are challenged with extending a storied path of innovation while growing an already leviathan company. Businessweek discusses how its latest CEO is reinventing the marketing legend.

2003-06-25T11:20:00.000-04:00

Blog Ubiquity

There have been too many blog articles not saying enough lately. It was a relief to see some substantive news on our flavor of the month.

Poynter.org's Steve Outing discusses the use of mobile phones to update your blog. Blogger has offered Audio Blogger since February of this year. Outing, however, details the use of mobile picture phones to do the updating. This gives you the ability to throw audio, video and images onto your blog?from anywhere. This innovation opens the door to even more creative and inspired blog use.

Freedom of speech is an inspired use for blogs and Outing also notes the rise of blogs based in Iran. Iranian youths are expressing themselves, protesting and giving us "a glimpse at the rising cultural turmoil in Iran."

2003-06-24T11:01:00.000-04:00

Ink Adds Up

In its latest issue, Forbes gives public relations an interesting nod (more accurately it gives publicity a nod vs. full-blown public relations). In creating its list “The Celebrity 100,” Forbes combines annual earning power with celebrities' “media hits.”

Jennifer Anniston tops the list—because she graces more magazine covers than any other star. She beats out the likes of Oprah (#8 with $180 million) and Steven Spielberg (#4 with $200 million). Anniston earns about $35 million.

The list is an example of what media relations can do—it's some pretty powerful stuff.

2003-06-10T13:11:00.000-04:00

Integrated Success Stories

BtoB magazine just did a special report on successful integrated marketing campaigns in the business to business arena. A campaign for one of my clients, AK Steel, was chosen along with work from IBM, Microsoft and Emerson. Check it out.

2003-06-05T12:07:00.000-04:00

She Speaks. Finally.

As if on cue, Martha has launched a Web site appropriately titled, Martha Talks. A full-page ad in this morning's USA Today drives readers to the site and allows her to state her case.

She is finally establishing communication with the outside world. And it's a good thing. As we all know, if you do not communicate your side of the story, the media will be more than happy to make assumptions on your behalf.

2003-06-03T15:57:00.000-04:00

Is Martha's Other Shoe Dropping?

A year and a half after ImClone, it looks like the Feds are getting ready to indict Martha Stewart.

It is interesting to note the challenge it presents her company in moving forward:

"Sales at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia have suffered since Stewart's trouble began. The company lost money in its first quarter, reflecting weak advertising at its flagship magazine, weaker-than-promised sales at retailer Kmart Corp. and Stewart's legal problems.
Adams Harkness & Hill analyst Laura Richardson said the company faces competition on several fronts. That means that simply firing Stewart and changing the company's name won't be enough to solve its problems, she said.
"There are three sides of the company -- the personality side, the creative side and the advertising side," said Richardson. "If you change the personality without changing the creative side, that's not good for the company."

What will MSLO's strategy be moving forward? Changes are clearly afoot for the communications empire which gets 62 percent of its revenue from publishing. And as discussed about a year and a half ago in SPR, Martha's silence strategy continues.

2003-05-06T15:36:00.000-04:00

Event Promotion In Today's Environment

Between the economy, what's left of the war and SARS, it's tough to get people to travel to an event. But that is exactly what I am trying to accomplish these days on behalf of a client. The event is next week and, while we boosted our mailing lists to get there, we are getting our attendance numbers.

As a result of this event and some other work, I'll be out of town for the better part of the next two weeks. So if you do not hear from me until after Memorial Day...you will know why.

2003-04-04T13:24:00.000-05:00

Discounting the Brand?

eMarketer wonders if a brand is negatively impacted by offering discounts on price.

Their research flies in the face of what we preach. Market leaders typically offer a premium product and it is always tempting to lower prices to quickly gain some market share. But the minute you discount the product, you discount the value it brings to customers. Whether literal or implied, your customers will assume the higher cost they used to pay was inflated. And while part of a premium product’s price tag is profit margin, it also takes into account the value the product brings to customers.

From fewer repairs and better warranties to the years of knowledge its service and support team leverages on your business, you usually buy more than a logo when you purchase the premium brand—especially in business to business. Pricing yourself at a discount is usually a losing battle.

Cadillac played this truth to their advantage when it unveiled Cadillac 16 . If this ultra-luxury concept car goes into production, it will come with a ton of chrome, 1,000-horsepower and a V-16 engine. It will also come with a minimum $250,000 price tag. 16 helps reinforce Cadillac’s position as THE leading luxury automobile manufacturer.

Cadillac and other luxury brands face bigger issues right now than premium brands. Between the market and the war, customers have put most purchase on hold. This puts a Rolex watch down to the bottom of a very long list. Rolex is developing a more quality focused approach to defend their price tag. By emphasizing that it takes a year to build the watch, they hope to show customers that a Rolex, a real Rolex, is well built and it will last. A Rolex is worth the investment.

Business to business purchases are typically considered purchases—an average of 6 people are involved in the decision to buy. As a result, business to business companies have a tough job defending their premium price. But eMarketer’s research is right. There are exceptions to the "never lower your price" rule.

Hobart Corporation offers a creative example of how to discount the brand and strengthen it in the process This leading food equipment manufacturer is offering zero percent financing. The company is acknowledging the economy and the issues its causing its customers. Here is a limited time offer to help its customers out. This shows Hobart works with its customers to help them through this challenging period. It is simply brilliant and shows us we should never be afraid to experiment and try something new even when the rules of marketing might seem set in stone.

2003-03-17T11:51:00.000-05:00

War and little more...

It seems silly to try and pontificate here right now in light of our current international situation. However I am also too aware of the fact that my posting has ceased while I recover from my recent injuries.

This is just another note to let you know I will continue posting to Strategic Public Relations. Keep coming back.

Two topics I am trying to write about in the future are corporate alumni networks and, separately, the concept of PR measurement as it applies to sales lead generation.

Until then, let's hope for the best as the world prepares for the worst.

2003-02-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

Strategic Public Relations Update

I'm still here, honest! But I am moving a bit slower these days, due to my recovery from the accident. Keep coming back. I'll be posting sooner than later. Thank you.

2003-02-06T23:53:00.000-05:00

The Heightened Investor Scrutiny Circus

You know a business problem is serious when it becomes oversimplified in an article, addressed with "three simple tests" and distributed in nearly every Sunday paper nationwide.

USA Weekend just ran a story telling readers how to "shield investments against corporate scandals." It focuses on "three simple tests to tell a good CEO from a bad one."

The goal of the piece makes sense—know what you're investing in and why.

But it bothers me that how a CEO parks his or her car is used to illustrate one approach to picking a company's stock. I can see the headlines now: "Left-handed CEOs deliver poor stock performance." It will be interesting to see if similar approaches present themselves and even more interesting to watch companies respond.

Positioning of a company, it products, services and people has always been important. More than ever, it must be thorough, consistent and part of the culture.

As it relates to this topic, Phil, Tom and I have kicked around the topic of thought leadership and CEO as rock star. Some think both approaches are dead. I think the latter is, but thought leadership is more important than ever before. Perhaps we should revisit this topic in light of the above.

2003-02-02T21:20:00.000-05:00

"An Opinion is Worth 80 IQ Points"

This is a quote we often use at work concerning almost every type of marketing message. It basically means—substance sells and fluff smells.

Tom Murphy understands this idea. He just upgraded his blog, PR Opinions, complete with new URL.

It is interesting to note that the facelift and new URL also bring PR Opinions a credibility boost. Tom is putting his money where his mouth is, spending time and money to develop his blog. It is a move we all benefit from.

Bad segue: I return back to work tomorrow. As a result I hope things will be getting back to "normal." I also hope this includes more posts so I can share a few new ideas. Stay tuned.

2003-01-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

Thoughts on the Bowl

We'll be seeing quite a few ads tonight. These million-dollar tactics get more build up than the game itself. To be honest, I think they're my favorite part. I blame part of this attention shift on my profession and part of it on my hometown team—the Bengals. But that is a topic for another blog.

One recommendation the ad/design community should make to the Super Bowl? LOSE THE ROMAN NUMERALS.

It has to be a designer's worst nightmare...cramming the roman numerals into a design that looks great on everything from t-shirts to inflatable couches. Some events are only as good as their marketing tchotchkies. The Super Bowl paraphernalia could stand a redux.

Speaking of which, I actually had a client that picked their new logo based on its resolution holding up when it was shrunken and placed onto a golf ball. At least they had some criteria in mind.

2003-01-22T08:48:00.000-05:00

Below is a link to a news story on the accident: http://enquirer.com/editions/2003/01/17/loc_snow17.html

2003-01-21T09:37:00.000-05:00

SPR Update

SPR was on hold due to a large workload. Now it is on hold as I recover from a tragic car accident that claimed the lives of three of my coworkers.

It's a miracle I'm writing to you. But this is far from my last post.

Much more to come.

2003-01-07T22:18:00.000-05:00

Brand. New.

The end of one year brought the holidays and some welcome down time. The new year brings lots of work. The end result?

Plenty to say here with little time to say it.

USA Today TV? According to this story, Gannett plans on aggregating top local news stories and packaging them for a national television audience. If it works, it will reinforce the concept of starting local to garner national attention.

More Martha Magazines. Starting the year off right, a story on Martha Stewart's next magazine landed in my inbox. I do not stalk her, honest. Everyday Food proves out my theories on her silence strategy. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is letting the publication stand on its own without her name. Interesting approach for a brand extension.

American Brands Abroad. Two interesting reports on US-based brands and their impact abroad as international tensions increase. The first one notes American brands are faring well outside of Middle East Islamic countries. The second story features Mecca Cola and a brand strategy evolving that creates new competition for Coke. It will be interesting to see how Coke and other American brands respond on a global level.

2002-12-14T14:51:00.000-05:00

The Facts Behind the Figures

As the end of 2002 hurtles towards us, a big topic around water coolers nationwide is: "Will we get a bonus this year? And, if so, how much will it be?"

USA Today cites research that points to yes. A lesser-known publication cites conflicting research pointing to a lean Christmas.

Media outlets provide "conflicting" reports all the time. Besides, upon closer examination of these two studies, the samples and surveys used to generate the results will surely show which one is more applicable to the nation. The bigger issue here is research and public relations.

Research is used to fuel publicity efforts more than it is used to drive marketing strategies. This is unfortunate, but the above cases in point prove out that—no matter what the results—research sells a story.

Research is typically used to predict trends, positioning your client as a thought leader, or to prove out issues or needs that a product or service addresses. Conducted by third party researchers or analyst firms, the results are golden news opportunities.

And while it makes sense to leverage this information into media placements, don't forget the opportunity it provides to drive strategy.

The other issue relates to secondary research conducted over the Internet. Far too often, when looking for data to support our own assertions, a source for attribution is all we look for. What about looking more closely at sample size, the type of survey used, when the research was conducted and other details? This homework not only helps you further establish research credibility, it also helps determine to what extent it supports your own assertions.

If the research you find reads too good to be true, it might be. Take a few more minutes to learn more about the facts behind the figures.

2002-12-14T14:30:00.000-05:00

Martha: A LONG Year in Review

This month-old article does a great job at predicting what might happen to Martha Stewart. It's been one year since the stock sale in question occurred—a mere six months since the likes of you and I caught wind of it.

This year, there will be no Martha Stewart Annual Christmas Special on CBS. She's sticking to her silent strategy.

By laying low, Stewart distances herself from the larger brand—a brand she will still own 61 percent of if she is asked to step down as CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

Regardless of what happens here, the Martha Stewart Living brand will survive. And it kind of makes you wonder.

2002-12-11T13:15:00.000-05:00

Alphabet Soup

This post was originally going to point you to a new blog focusing on business to business.

Then the alphabet soup headline popped into my head: FYI on B to B Blog. This reminded me that an easy step we can take to communicate more clearly is limit acronym use.

Far too often, we litter our work with acronyms to shorten the document and save a few keystrokes. The end result? Some pretty bad sins committed against the church of the well-turned phrase.

You surf the Web enough to have been on the receiving end of this phenomenon. You've probably even had to rely on one of my favorite reference sites to decode news you've come across within your clients' industries. It's a pain in the neck. Perhaps an easy New Year's resolution might be a pledge to stop the madness and use fewer acronyms in 2003.

2002-12-02T15:18:00.000-05:00

The Ries' are Wrong

Nothing like a confrontational headline to gain your attention, eh? Al & Laura Ries are dancing on the grave of advertising in their latest book: "The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR." Many a PR person is squealing with delight over the title. I can hear the PRSA luncheon small talk now, "Finally, we gain some well-deserved respect." Well, respect is earned. A book cannot somehow bestow respect upon someone.

And yes, I do disagree with the Ries' title as much as you might disagree with the one above.

Even case histories like the Razor Scooter will not change my mind. Razor has sold more than five million scooters and it has not spent a dime on advertising. Grass-roots marketing, word of mouth and public relations did all of Razor's heavy lifting.

So why am I bashing public relations?

I am not bashing public relations, or Al & Laura Ries. Debating which marketing communications discipline is the best is moot and does nothing to earn public relations respect. It is the right mix, working together, that creates results. Driven by research, Razor realized ads would not reach their target market. They created a mix of marketing tactics that would reach their target market. And they have five million plus units sold to prove they were right. This impressive case does nothing to prove advertising is less effective than public relations.

Ads, public relations and the rest of marketing all have their place. And they are most effective when based on accurate research and driven by insightful strategies.

2002-11-26T22:26:00.000-05:00

Turkey Strategies

Plenty of thoughts cooking for SPR, I am pleased to report. However the Thanksgiving holiday will make it tough for me to get this content posted in the near term.

So until then, enjoy your Thanksgiving and thanks for stopping by.

My advice for Turkey Day? Pace yourself. Spend plenty of time with family and friends. Enjoy it all. And of course, be thankful.

2002-11-13T10:27:00.000-05:00

One Big Headache

PRSA's The Strategist magazine profiles the Tylenol Crisis of 1982. It takes a look back at how this event led to a new era of crisis communications. It amazes me that it's already been 20 years. It is a sure sign that I am getting old and how much impact this one event has had on crisis communications.

2002-11-12T07:41:00.000-05:00

Looks Can Kill

Last night I helped judge some public relations plans presented by some local college students. Both teams created comprehensive plans for a local Montessori school. Both teams clearly worked very hard on their projects.

To oversimplify for sake of discussion, the first team presented a modest proposal. It was workable, realistic and covered all their bases as it related to their deliverable. While their presentation was not remarkable, the school could have easily implemented it. Their biggest downfall? An unrealistic budget that was too general.

The second team came in dressed more professionally, had better visuals and had an exacting attention to detail. In fact, I would not have been surprised if they had used background music and sound effects. Their tactics were creative and their budget was thorough. Their biggest error? The proposal of too many tactics and no realistic view of how many people it would take to implement all of the work.

So who should win?

While far too often looks are not everything, they speak volumes in this business. The level of detail put into the second team's presentation brought them credibility, the energy they exuded in their tactics and in their presentation skills was contagious. While the scope of their tactics were unrealistic, they could be hedged back by the client and made to work. The second team brought more to the table than expected. As a result, they won the top spot...along with a major bill from Kinko's I imagine.

This just in, layoffs at the WSJ. The staff cuts include the teams covering WorldCom and Martha Stewart. As a result, it might seem that the WSJ is cutting off its nose to spite its face. However it just shows how bad the economy has gotten. I've been on the side of the fence making the cuts. It is *never* easy. If the WSJ cut one of its top newsroom teams, it's a sure sign of how bad things have gotten. The top business daily has cut away some muscle, let's hope bone is not next.

2002-10-31T12:53:00.000-05:00

E-Mail "Marketing"

Spam bombards us on a daily basis. You learn to delete it, ignore it, filter it and even laugh at it. But in the past week, I have received two e-mail messages from unsolicited sources that stand out and simply must be mentioned.

The distinction these two messages share? The salutations are to NAME. The notes *literally* read: Dear NAME. And one of these notes are from a high-tech publisher...one clearly advanced enough and saavy enough to know better.

As far as Spam goes, I'm much more into discussing the lunch meat in a can. But please people, if you are doing e-mail marketing, spend more money than you think you can afford on good, opt-in lists and customize the heck out of the messages. Or just do not do it at all.

Halloween is meant to be scary, just for completely different reasons. BOO!

2002-10-29T12:28:00.000-05:00

Expectation Management

It's always helpful to "walk a mile in your clients' shoes" to be reminded of how important the fundamentals of account management are to success.

Specifically, this weekend we moved into a new home (new to us anyway). Upon his arrival, the leader of our moving team informed me they would come in under the estimated time for the move. Translation: the Dugan's are going to save money. In turn, I began thinking of what we might do with this money. Translation: pay bills. So my expectations around how fast they would move us were raised beyond the initial estimate we were provided.

Once it was all said and done, instead of coming in under the initial estimate, they exceeded it by almost an hour (we negotiated this down to 15 minutes over the initial estimate). So I went from paying one amount to assuming I would pay less to actually paying more than the estimate.

Needless to say, I was not happy with the outcome of this experience. Thankfully I do not plan on moving anytime in the coming decade. But it drove home an important point about expectation management.

Far too often, we manage expectations to cover ourselves. And while this is a valuable practice, there is a better reason to under promise and over deliver that has little to do with you or your agency.

Once expectations are set, your clients plan accordingly on their end. From planning other internal projects around your specific deadline to creating strategies that are dependent on your deliverables, your client has a much bigger plate than just YOUR work. Keep in mind that well set expectations help cover the client as much as it covers you.

As far as how the above experience applies to bringing projects in on budget...I will once again note I am not a numbers person.

2002-10-23T12:10:00.000-04:00

Marketing’s Expanding Role

By applying the broken window theory to Corporate America, marketers are required to don more hats than ever. Our roles and responsibilities have always expanded past the typical—advertising, public relations, direct mail and the Internet.

But now more than ever, customer service and financial reporting are moving from a secondary focus to a top responsibility to which we’re being held accountable. Creativity is no longer enough.

Customer Service: PlanetFeedback just released a white paper encapsulating the need for companies to listen to its customers "in the age of WorldCom and Enron." The piece is written from a business to consumer perspective. However I think it applies to a business to business audience as well (merely substitute the word consumer with customer). The bottom line is that companies must look at customer service as much more than a cost center. It must be used as an antenna that tracks and impacts customers’ perceptions of your company. "Corporate America must nurture cultures based on consumer listening, external sensing, respect and in turn they must respond and communicate with integrity and honesty." Customer service is crucial for doing this.

SPRreaders with a high-tech background should find the above edict all too familiar. Even before Palm incorrectly promoted its m130 PDA, we had Intel.

Several years ago, newsgroups were less a niche tool and more a component of the Internet that actually competed with Web sites and e-mail. One newsgroup that focused on advanced mathematics had some issues with one of Intel’s chips. On certain high-level math problems, the chip would hit an error. One member of the newsgroup reported the error to Intel and was promptly ignored. What’s one disgruntled customer after all? Well, this one disgruntled customer reported back to the hundreds of members belonging to this newsgroup. One of those members was a reporter that wound up breaking the Intel chip story. Today Intel involves customers in beta tests of its products and provides a shining example of how to learn and profit from customer input.

Financial Reporting: Public Relations pros are word people and not number people. I’m Exhibit A when it comes to this statement. But we all need to take crash courses in accounting from our friends in investor relations. Changes are afoot in corporate accounting with as many as seven issues pending with the Federal Accounting Standards Board (FASB), the Emerging Issue Task Force (EITF), New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

One of the biggest financial reporting changes that impacts marketing? Companies will be required to subtract promotion expenses directly from a company’s top line revenue. Most advertising can still be expensed, but co-op advertising, market development funds and rebates or discounts of any kind must ALL be subtracted from revenue. The result of this new approach has already been reflected in sharply lower sales figures. In the consumer packaged goods category alone, one company’s sales have been lowered as much as $4.6 billion.

The goal is to make it easier to see how a company is really doing. The impact on marketing forces us to become less budget stewards and more yield managers responsible for tracking the return from the marketing investment. Marketing budgets will be subjected to increased scrutiny under just this one ruling. Marketers will be forced to rethink their strategies. In addition to HOW you are doing something, the first question you’ll have to answer is WHY you are doing it in the first place.

This should always be the first question. Now the answer is merely more expensive.

note: the financial reporting piece of the above post was based on an article in the Grocery Manufacturers of America member publication-FORUM. It was written by Ronald Lunde.

2002-10-21T23:42:00.000-04:00

The business of, er, business to business marketing

Attended a client's user conference last week. It was well done with good speakers. I learned a heck of a lot. In a nutshell, my client's product allows companies to automate their customer communications and track their marketing operations. The end result allows companies like HP, Pfizer, AutoDesk and Bank of America to track marketing performance and to tie it directly to company performance.

Just think if a client asked you to slash your proposed marketing budget for them by 30% and you could tell them *exactly* how much that reduction would in turn reduce their sales? We're all clamoring for measurement of, and ROI statistics on, what we do for a living. This product allows companies to do it.

Segue from commercial...

At the event, one of HP's marketing vps reviewed the companies recent merger into an $87 billion company. She also reviewed how marketing has changed from the four P's—product, price, place and promotion. Now we have the four c's:

customer wants and needs

cost to satisfy

convenience to buy

communication

There is no huge news in the above. However if you are reading this and currently in school, I hope you're being taught the c's and not the p's.

The keynote was from the Organic Institute, Futurist Dr. Jim Taylor. Taylor was a great presenter. This was in part because he could back up his assertions with his own professional experiences. He helped create the Gateway "cow spot" campaign and the DeBeers Diamond "shadows" campaign. He also had a wicked cool PowerPoint that was heavy on images, light on text.

Taylor discussed the "broken window theory" as it applies to marketing. Then Mayor Rudolph Giuliani realized that broken windows, graffiti and trash promoted crime. By cleaning up New York, and focusing on street crimes, crime rates fell by 65 percent.

Now Corporate America suffers from the broken window theory due to several companies. According to Taylor,

"Brands must be fixed to reflect the substantive merits of what we do. Brands cannot afford to focus on a cosmetic value or advantage.

To succeed in its category, a brand must offer distinction instead of differentiation."

Far too often, brands merely focus on being different. Instead they should focus on being the best at one particular thing. Focus on the distinction your brand brings to the table and reinforce it in every element of your marketing program to become the best in your category.

2002-10-11T13:33:00.000-04:00

Beating a Dead Horse?

Honest, I do not have it out for Martha Stewart. However it looks like an avalanche is starting to fall around her. Just read this news story.

The most telling quote: "Nine months ago, we were wondering if Martha Stewart was ruining her reputation by being associated with Kmart. Now it could be the other way around."

2002-10-10T14:47:00.000-04:00

More on Martha

Martha's plight is continuing to develop. Now they are looking into whether or not she has committed securities fraud.

You may recall the House turned over its investigation to the Justice Department after Stewart's attorneys said she would refuse to testify.

If silence is golden, Martha will keep her millionaire status no matter what happens. But, perhaps she should have hired an investor relations firm instead of a crisis communications firm to help her through this debacle?

2002-10-10T13:11:00.000-04:00

Silence as a Strategy

Martha Stewart's stall tactics around her recent insider-trading debacle provide good examples of the danger of being silent. Lying low to "focus on your salad" and stonewalling media did not help Martha's case. Particularly as it relates to media relations, "no comment" is the kiss of death. Silence gives the perception of guilt.

However, this week I was faced with a small crisis situation and realized silence was the perfect strategy for my client. Essentially, a picket line of 75 people formed outside of the hotel where we were holding a client-sponsored event.

The protest was aimed at my client, but the protestors were demonstrating over an issue completely unrelated to the event itself. The protestors were interjecting themselves into our space to force their issue into the forefront and to try and make things uncomfortable for my client. As the protest was completely unrelated, we focused on making sure the attendees' experience at the event was not impacted by the demonstration. Working closely with hotel security and local law enforcement this was not a problem.

Otherwise we did not make any efforts to communicate to the media or the attendees about the demonstration—unless we were asked about it. To comment on their demonstration was to give it credibility AND it would bring their unrelated issue directly into my event.

The event was well attended by our target audience, which included existing customers, potential customers and trade media. Based on its success, we're even looking at holding a second annual event. Crisis averted.

2002-10-01T22:02:00.000-04:00

The Art of Strategic Neglect

One of my mentors always told me about the art of strategic neglect. He took the concept from the book "On Becoming a Servant-Leader."

It is a fancy way to talk about basic time management and effectively managing your work.

Basically your customers are an infinite vessel. You could work 24/7 on their requests and never be "DONE" with your work. As a result, you must practice the art of strategic neglect. Strategic neglect realizes that there is typically more work to be done than there is time and energy to do.

Therefore it becomes just as important to know what to neglect as it is to know what to do. Prioritize your projects, focus on the most important item and neglect those less important items until they become a priority. You will be more effective.

This basic thought is thrown out here for two reasons. I am not making any progress on the book I am reading, Clients for Life. As a result I thought I could provide some basic client service concepts here in lieu of the bigger picture.

Secondly, this blog will be the victim of strategic neglect for the next two weeks.

A peak in client work requires that I spend more time on paying public relations projects. The good news here is that I will have more interesting content after two weeks time. Until then, you can see one of the projects that I will be focused on in the list of links on the right. Click on "My Latest Project" to see how I will be fighting mold and bacteria by bringing an added measure of cleanliness to Chicago...or something like that.

2002-09-25T11:13:00.000-04:00

B to B: the movie?

In lieu of substantive, thought-provoking content I submit the following lighthearted take on which movies best portray business.

Personally, I tell people that PBS got me interested in business to business marketing. Think back to your days of children's television—there were always short snippets of manufacturing footage set to music. These short films took us behind-the-scenes to see how things like crayons and toothpaste are made. This behind-the-scene look at things always intrigued me. Now, business to business marketing gets me onto the factory floor. And at the end of the day, it is one of the things I enjoy most about my career.

2002-09-17T10:25:00.000-04:00

Clients for Life

Non-fiction is a tougher read for me than fiction. I admit it. Despite this fact, I just started to read Clients for Life: How Great Professionals Develop Breakthrough Relationships. If I glean anything useful, I will make a full report to SPR. If it is a few months before I report, you will know why.

The book brings to mind a classic client situation:
After reaching a particularly successful client milestone—from landing the cover of a national publication to presenting next year's integrated marketing communications plan—most teams will cringe when the client responds: "What's next?"

It's only natural to want to enjoy the moment and get a few client accolades for the hard work you have done. Everyone is inclined to spend some time reveling in his or her accomplishments. However, the bottom line is, we should expect this question.

Sure, the most obvious reasons are because clients pay for our services and our job is never done. But history shows us that if this question were not asked, we would not do our best work.

In The Father of Spin, we read about some of Edward Bernays' finest hours. Bernays' client, George Washington Hill at American Tobacco Company, wanted to increase market share with women for ATC's Lucky Strikes brand. **disclaimer: great example, terrible industry. no need to cover the dangers of tobacco here as a result of this acknowledgement.

Bernays' strategies landed cigarettes on restaurant menus as a low-calorie alternative to sweets. He got cabinetmakers to build a special cigarette compartment into kitchen cabinets. And when Lucky Strikes' green packaging tested badly with women—it clashed with most of their clothing—Bernays wisely suggested a neutral color be used instead. Hill balked, so Bernays actually worked on making green a fashionable color.

Bernays' strategies resulted in a $32 million increase in sales that year. $32 million is impressive growth today, not to mention back in the late 1920s.

Hill's response? "What's next?"

As a result, Bernays staged the Torches of Freedom march down Fifth Avenue. Arguably this was his most artful and well-known effort to date.

So clients may seem less than appreciative when they ask this question. But not only do they have a right to ask "What's next?" the timing simply could not be better. Clients push us to deliver bigger, better, faster, MORE. Our strategies improve in the process.

The next time we are asked "What's next?" not only should we expect the question, we should have an answer.

2002-09-15T14:23:00.000-04:00

Businesses Reflect

USA Today detailed how several businesses observed the anniversary of 9/11. Personally, I took the First Lady's advice and steered clear of the television. This is not an easy task as a bank of four TV sets sit outside my office. I did notice subtle things like Yahoo's choice to turn their site black and white for the day. Overall, businesses took a low-key and tasteful approach to the anniversary of 9/11. Quite frankly this was much more than just a strategy, it was the right thing to do.

2002-09-09T08:52:00.000-04:00

low key

As the 9.11 anniversary fast approaches, it is interesting to read how companies will promote themselves on Wednesday. With our pure business to business focus, we're recommending our clients take a low key approach if they do any marketing at all that day.

The First Lady recently upped the ante by encouraging everyone to turn off their TV, light a candle in memorial and read to their children. Instead of tuning in for the various tributes and non-stop coverage Wednesday will bring, spend the day observing the anniversary in a low key fashion instead.

So, does this mean there will there be NO ads and PR on 9.11? Of course not. Thanks to Tom Murphy, I read an article that points out appropriate consumer brands might want to advertise that day. But I really like the First Lady's idea. Even with the TV off for the day, there will be plenty of reminders of what happened to America last year.

2002-09-04T07:57:00.000-04:00

Blog Book Burning?

Some words are being exchanged over at Slate as it applies to our fave topic.

Interesting points are made—as business tries to figure out a way to make money on blogging, do old media tactics really apply? This article also humorously nails down some stereotypical blogging personalities. Check it out.

2002-08-29T21:56:00.000-04:00

What's NOT Strategy?

During some business travel this week, I was confronted twice by messages telling me what's NOT strategy.

HOPE: The book, Hope Is Not a Strategy: The 6 Keys to Winning the Complex Sale, is written by Rick Page. I like the fact that it focuses on the complex sale. In business to business, most transactions are a considered purchase. Example: no one runs out and buys 13 jet engines on a lark. There are no frequent buyer programs for $250,000 machine tools or $500,000 enterprise software solutions.

A mentor distinguished consumer purchases from business to business purchases like this: "Buying the wrong toothpaste leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Making the wrong business to business purchase can cost you your job." And that's just one reason why these sales are complex.

SIZE: Fast Company's September cover story discusses the relationship between company size and strategy. Rather than growing through acquisition, companies should be profiting through innovation. Leviathan General Electric is betting on innovation to keep its far-flung businesses running smooth. Brand Titan P&G is also hoping innovation will allow it to respond more quickly, capitalizing on opportunities. Both offer exciting tests of Fast Company's theory. Can the largest companies profit through innovation despite their size?

Management guru Peter Drucker notes, "Growth without profit is cancer." This applies to Fast Company's article. When size is a strategy, you're cruising for a bruising. Just ask Worldcom, Tyco, Adelphia and Enron. Bigger is not always better.

So, if the above are NOT strategy. What in the heck IS it?

PRSA's Accreditation Guide offers up the following operational definition of Strategy: A general, well-thought out tactical plan. Strategies do not indicate specific actions to achieve objectives. There can be multiple strategies for each objective.

I consider strategy the bigger picture. Strategy makes sure your tactics are working together to achieve your program's specific, measurable objectives and overall goal. Strategy consists of the Xs and Os in the playbook that make sure your client wins the game.

Next On SPR: Phil Gomes and I have been kicking around the thought leadership strategy and how CEO as rock star, while breathing its last gasp, is a poor imitator of thought leadership. Perhaps that is why one strategy is dying and one is not?

Tom Murphy and I have been discussing marketing strategy as it pertains to the anniversary of 9/11. Our thoughts are that, depending on who your client is, less is more. Now it seems even politics is taking a cue from marketers like GM and Pepsi.

More to come on both of these concepts.

2002-08-21T13:03:00.000-04:00

Speed Kills

Thanks for checking out Strategic Public Relations (SPR).

Futurist Alvin Toffler notes, "speed without strategy is futile." It’s an obvious quote for this blog, but I’m referencing it to discuss SPR’s publishing cycle.

My promise to you is to deliver substantive content focused around marketing communications strategy. I will NOT promise you a set publishing cycle. My main goal is quality and not quantity.

To ensure you get strategy over speed, I cannot promise when content will appear. My desire is to post about once a week. However, keep in mind that SPR has to compete with my work and my life. So if a client has a last minute project come up, or my daughter wants to play, the SPR blog will have to wait. Or what if I do not have a relevant topic to discuss? I would rather miss the weekly post instead of going off topic and debating the merits of BusinessWire and PR Newswire*.

So rather than set a specific time when updates will appear, *please* bookmark this site if you enjoy what you read here. I hope you will check back about once a week or so. It will be time well spent.

*I have written an analysis of the two wire services in the past. The bottom line is they both have merits. You should choose the service that works best for your company.