I’m admittedly a little too into HBO’s Game of Thrones. Through the months of March, April and May you can find me around the office discussing new theories and predictions and analyzing characters’ developing personalities. With the recent finale and the laundry list of Emmy nominations, I was inspired to take a closer look at four strong Game of Thrones characters and think about what we could learn from them and how we could apply those learnings to our daily work in the PR world (admittedly a far cry from their home of Westeros).
Jon Snow: Jon Snow is undoubtedly one of the most beloved characters on television, but that’s not necessarily the case in the world in which he lives. As a leader, Jon is often faced with tough decisions yet what he sees as right (and his ultimate decision) is often against what others want.
As PR professionals, our clients are seeking our counsel and looking to us to lead them through the media landscape to help them achieve their business and communication objectives. More often than not, they trust our suggestions, however, they occasionally may disagree with our recommendations or request we move forward with an activity that we believe won’t hold much value. Part of our job as the hired experts is to have the hard conversations and inform them what is realistic and what we believe the results will be.
Like Jon, it’s important that we explain the rationale behind what we think is the best course of action. But unlike Jon, at the end of the day, the client has final say, and if it is something that is important to them, then we will do everything in our ability to achieve the best results possible!
Peter Baelish/Little Finger: Most Game of Thrones fans are probably thinking, what could we possibly learn from the manipulative Lord Baelish? Well, it’s true, he is sneaky, devious and betrays one person after another. But the one thing that he knows how to do and to do well is address his audience. He knows exactly what people want, what interests them and usually presents them with a way to get exactly that.
Please note: I am not recommending you operate in a way that is manipulative. Rather, I recommend you take the time to truly understand the audience your pitch or story idea will reach. Know the journalist—consider if what you are sending will be something they are interested in and if it is something their audience will be interested in. Lastly, is this audience the audience that your client is hoping to reach? If not, then rethink your idea or find a new target.
Arya Stark: Over the last couple of seasons, Arya has been on an interesting journey, essentially learning how to be an assassin. She spent time and energy studying the way this group of assassins operates and practiced and perfected a set of skills. But after a couple of mix-ups she decides to return home, bringing with her a completely new set of skills that can be applied regardless of where she is. Arya shows us that skill sets are versatile.
While you may be an expert in PR in a specific field – retail, technology, media and entertainment or consumer products – that doesn’t mean you are limited to one area. The skills you learn while doing work for one company can almost always apply to another industry, and may even give you a unique perspective. To find success, you simply need the skills as a foundation and a creative mind set to apply them.
Daenerys Targaryen: All good things take time. Dany has spent six seasons building an army of loyal followers, gathering ships and conquering cities in preparation to take the iron throne. She’s had her frustrations and setbacks, but with determination, passion and an unwavering focus on achieving her goals (and with the help of three dragons), she is finally headed west, something she has been working towards since we were introduced to the character.
The takeaway is results don’t always immediately present themselves. A major funding story may garner significant coverage with less effort, but getting that feature or trend story may take months of cultivating a relationship and providing countless ideas and updates. These profiles or trend stories aren’t going to happen every day, but if you put significant thought into the idea and meaningful effort into the presentation of it, the results will eventually follow.
This is only a brief overview, by way of Westeros, of some of the qualities we can work to implement into our daily duties as PR professionals. Being confident in your recommendations and expert knowledge, understanding your audience, growing your skill set and having the patience and resilience to build key relationships (journalists can be tough!) are all critical to finding success as a professional and on behalf of your clients.
And as Game of Thrones fans know, I’ve barely scratched the surface with the lessons we could learn from key characters. What other lessons have you learned or what other character qualities can we apply to our role in PR?