The PR Warrior

Generating Greater Results by Expanding the PR Brief (and Increasing the Budget!)

I was having lunch today with an old pal (the PR Warrior Princess?) who, like me, has worked in the marcomms business for a while now. 

We discussed the fact there have been some fantastic campaigns undertaken by PR firms (and in-house comms departments) in recent years, which has been great for our industry as it has demonstrated the power of strategic integrated public relations in full flight.

But we both wondered out loud why is it that many companies and brands still relegate their public relations people to straight publicity duties when, with an expanded brief (and budget), the PR team could potentially generate far greater results by integrating traditional media relations with other elements such as events, brand experiences and new media.

I believe that grassroots face-to-face activity, when combined with elements of online social media, is a pretty powerful communications recipe because emphasis is on connection and engagement. Add in targeted media publicity for additional reach and credibility and you have the makings of a potentially strong program. Naturally the package requires a clever strategy and a big creative idea, but you get the drift.

Anyway, back to my lunch with the PR Warrior Princess... 

Post-cappuccino, I whipped out my notepad and drew up a simple communications model that I like to use when demonstrating to marketers, CEOs etc (i.e. prospects and clients) the basic framework of a 'modern' multi-faceted public relations campaign.

The model (pictured above) is not meant to be an intellectualised look at the strategic building blocks of a PR campaign, but rather a simplified look at how public relations can be utilised across a number of fronts in the same way as an integrated advertising campaign. 

I've found it an effective tool, maybe you will too.

Why Paris Hilton Attracts More Attention Than Stephen Hawking

Experiential brand building is taking on new and all-encompassing dimensions, according to Martin Lindstrom, in a new article about 'The Branded Life', 

Lindstrom says that branded living, or living branding as he also calls it, is a methodology that gives brands access to every detail in daily life.

To support his argument, he cites examples by IKEA,  Martha Stewart , Disney  even rock band, KISS.

IKEA, for example, is no longer just a flat-pack-furniture and homewares store. It's a construction company that builds IKEA houses, based on the IKEA promise of easy living and affordable design.

"When you buy an IKEA house, you get two days of complimentary interior decorating advice. Of course, the recommendations centre on which IKEA furniture and accessories to buy," writes Lindstrom.

However, what caught my attention was this paragraph:

"So, it looks like this is just the beginning of a trend which will occupy and influence every aspect of life. Why's that?  Because in a world where Paris Hilton attracts more media attention than Stephen Hawking, where superficial perception is more influential than considered fact, where the signals we send are more important than what's behind them, where success and acceptable values are tied up and reflected in materials and the constructed image, branded living makes sense."

While it's good to look at the trends and cite the examples, Lindstrom has in the space of little more than a couple of sentences encapsulated not just why branded living as a concept 'makes sense', but why the whole notion of brands is more important than ever to consumers in this age of media overload and celebrity obsession.

Good stuff!

A Gaze Into Marcomms Crystal Ball Reveals ‘Perfect Storm’ in 2008

The rate of change that has been occurring in the marketing communications space in recent years will continue unabated in 2008.

Here are some general trends and issues I believe the industry faces in the year ahead.

Suffice to say, there is considerable over-lap between all ‘areas’, which one might argue provides a galvanising effect of sorts. Think of it as marketing’s version of the ‘perfect storm’, where a number of factors combine for a more powerful impact.

Click here for full article.

Nike Connects With Your Life

Have just stumbled on to this article in the New York Times (The New Advertising Outlet: Your Life) - it crams in a lot of good stuff on the trend towards big brands spending money on marketing activities that better connect with consumers.

In the article, Nike executives say that much of the company’s future advertising spending will take the form of services for consumers, like workout advice, online communities and local sports competitions.

Here are some interesting points, as mentioned in the article:

• Last year, Nike spent just 33 percent of its $678 million United States advertising budget on ads with television networks and other traditional media companies. That’s down from 55 percent 10 years ago (SOURCE: Advertising Age).
• Companies like Nike have been experimenting with alternative forms of marketing since the 1990s. But now, even the most conventional marketers are making these alternatives a permanent — and ever bigger — part of their advertising budgets.
• The amount of money flowing out of the traditional media is huge — even at a time when ad budgets in general are growing, advertising research shows.
• Behind the shift is a fundamental change in Nike’s view of the role of advertising. No longer are ads primarily meant to grab a person’s attention while they’re trying to do something else.
• “We want to find a way to enhance the experience and services, rather than looking for a way to interrupt people from getting to where they want to go,” said Stefan Olander, global director for brand connections at Nike. “How can we provide a service that the consumer goes, ‘Wow, you really made this easier for me’?”

Now there's a title I like: 'Global Director of Brand Connections'!

According to the article, a number of well-known brands are also trying new approaches, hoping to generate buzz both online and off.

• Procter & Gamble opened a temporary Charmin-brand public bathroom in Manhattan.
• Microsoft dropped thousands of parachutes holding software onto a town in Illinois last year.
• Target suspended the magician David Blaine in a gyroscope above Times Square for two days.

I've just had an EPIPHANY - sort of!

I've just had an EPIPHANY (bugger of a word to spell, great word nonetheless!).

It was a moment when all things 'digital' and 'PR/comms' for me came together. Like a clearing of storm clouds that have been casting a dark shadow over our industry, or more specifically, my role in it!

You see, I've practised PR and marcomms for years -- in today's hyper-competitive market, there are dotted lines all over the place...what were once 'boundaries' are being massaged as technology and clients' requirements change on a regular basis. I've gone with the flow, and changed accordingly - willingly! - and am all the better for it.

What was the 'epiphany'?

Thank you for asking! Epiphany - it's a great word, so I just wanted to use it! Nah, kidding. I've been into this 'space' for years, and getting deeper and deeeeeper as time go by. But this weekend, I reckon it's all come together for me.

The skies have cleared, the 'storm clouds' (of doubt, if there were any in the first place) have parted and I reckon I've got a handle on things - well, as good as you can get when there's so much change occurring seemingly on a daily basis! After listening to about 40+ different podcasts, reading 100+ different blogs, being involved in God knows how many online conversations, I reckon my online life is about to 'crank'!

People who reckon they 'get it' without doing the hard yards are, to put it bluntly, kidding themselves.

This space we're in - communications - has changed forever. The consumer is now in control, and has been for some time. Embrace it , or die...or at least, fade away. It may take a year, it may take two - but you've got to think, it will happen.

I love the fact these virtual communities are springing up all over the place. I love the fact we - PR practitioners, and the brands and organisations we represent - now have a voice over and above the traditional media. It's scary, but it's also liberating...and exciting!

Brand Experience - a definition

Brand experience marketing means a lot of different things to a lot of different people in the advertising industry.

Here's a good definition that I stumbled upon recently (sorry, I didn't make a note as to who said it):

Brand experience = "integrating brands into people's lifestyles, adding value to the consumer's experience of the brand - engaging rather than interrupting".

Here's another saying that I like:

Brand experience is about CAPTIVATING your audience, not CAPTURING them.