What thoughts are stirred when you hear the term, “public relations?”

You might think of press releases. Or more imaginatively, maybe the image that comes to mind is a news conference — where a company spokesperson tries to put a positive spin on reports that their latest product is “unsafe for any use … and is hazardous as waste.”

Certainly such functions are aspects of PR. They are also quite different from what pops into our heads when someone says “advertising.” We almost instinctively think of multi-million dollar ads during the Super Bowl or perhaps loud radio commercials for a local car dealer.

But like its marketing cousin, PR’s every activity has one objective — to promote a brand image that will resonate with its target audience.

As with advertising, publicity initiatives should be framed by the company’s unique value proposition (e.g. the characteristic and promise that differentiates the business from its competitors and serves as the foundation for the brand identity.)

For example, press releases should “tell a story” or report a true account of how the value proposition is being realized. Even in a crisis-management scenario, how the company plans to deal with the matter should pay homage to the value proposition (e.g. acknowledge the problem and note how corrective action will be in keeping with what makes the company stand out from its rivals).

Because good marketing requires there be only one brand image per company, PR and advertising have to be on the same page. Messages must reinforce one another. A rough way to think of this is that paid advertising gets the audience’s attention and PR explains why the message is true. You can immediately see how these two sides of promotion complement each other. But of the two, PR is probably better at both gaining attention and telling the brand story. The difference is credibility.

PR operates through news media. When a story that puts a business in a positive light is picked up and printed or broadcasted, it has been filtered by at least one news organization as worthy of public interest. The extent to which a person seeks, values and trusts the media outlet becomes a “seal of approval” for the publicized company. When a consumer segment on the evening news presents an “interesting new product” the viewer gets the message, “Hey, this thing might actually work.”

Good PR need not be so directly tied to selling however, to be effective. Being someone the media turns to for expert opinion adds to one’s standing in the eyes of the public. The local dermatologist who is quoted about the latest research on skin cancer, or the CPA who explains changes in tax law, improves his or her standing as far as the audience is concerned.

Another upside of PR is cost. News organizations need content, so as long as your story is compelling they will essentially give you space for free. The trick, of course, is having a story that will be deemed interesting by the media. In this age of information segmentation, “pitch” your story only to those news organizations that serve a relevant audience. As for story angle, you should always explain two things to your media contact: 1) How is this news? 2) Why would audience members care?

Though credibility and cost are PR advantages over advertising, a third “c-word” is a public relations weak point — control. If you buy a full page ad in your local newspaper, enough money will pretty much guarantee its placement. Your story, on the other hand, could be bumped by another news item. Additionally, you have no authority over how reporters will tell your story. They may take the angle you’ve suggested, or they may go in a completely different direction.

The best way to ameliorate loss of control is through establishing a long-term relationship with reporters. (You might be surprised by how often PR professionals set up interviews for their clients, only to have the company representative not return a reporter’s phone call.) They want to get the story straight, so help them.

Think of your media contacts as you would a customer. Seek them out. Be thoughtful, responsive and realize that these “transactions” are in both parties best interest … if you are to continue doing business and stay friendly.

Back to Notions: Winter 2008