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Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.

From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.

Keeping It Personal: What Companies and Brands Need to Know About Content

LinkedIn, and now Facebook, remind us that ultimately we are all influenced by individuals. Both of these platforms prioritize personal content over that of content from publishers, brands and companies. First LinkedIn launched its Pulse publishing capabilities that are available to individuals only (thus far not available to companies), and now Facebook has announced that its algorithm will prioritize personal content from friends and family – demonstrating that personalized content from individuals is what counts!

True, those individuals may represent or speak for brands and possibly have a specific agenda; however, we increasingly look to the people we know to guide our decision-making. This is reinforced by data from Nielsen’s Trust in Advertising Report that revealed 84 percent of global respondents feel word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family are still the most trustworthy. And 68 percent of survey respondents indicated that they “trust consumer opinions posted online.” (Nielsen: Under the Influence: Consumer Trust in Advertising)

Simply Measured cites additional data points illustrating the impact of these influencers in its post “Influencer Marketing: Stats and Quotes You Need to Know.” Stats worth noting include:

  • 74 percent of consumers rely on social media to inform their purchasing decisions.
  • 90 percent of marketers have said earned media will have a significant impact on their strategy by 2014.

We may know these individual influencers through direct personal connections or we may know them through their public image, persona or success. Social media and the internet have made it easier for us all to influence a wider circle of individuals and build our own personal thought leadership. But companies and brands don’t need to be left behind – they need to adapt and leverage their own networks.

Look no farther than John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile, and the personal connection he has developed with consumers by humanizing and living the Un-Carrier brand message on Twitter – a direct counter to the corporate brand execution of the past  – “T-Mobile CEO sees doubling of U.S. business customers in 2016.” While Leger’s platform and persona may be edgy, he successfully embodies the brand’s personality and values.

The rules of thought leadership content creation are the same  – how we execute has changed. Content still needs to be compelling and relevant to the intended audience; however, it no longer means relying solely on a publisher to tell that story. Platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook enable organizations to build thought leadership through key individuals/executives that reach millions of targeted individuals, while controlling the timing and messaging and offering analytics to track impact and engagement.

LinkedIn publishing has helped our clients expand their reach and engagement, which has led to increases in followers and network connections, increased site traffic, editorial coverage citing them as expert sources, and anecdotally has linked to additional sales. Examples to further illustrate the impact are included in this following Forbes article, “3 Ways to Rock the Publishing World on LinkedIn.”

Building thought leadership for an executive used to rely heavily on speaking opportunities, awards, and bylines/contributed content. While these are still valuable elements for a thought-leadership initiative, it is important to consider some of the drawbacks, including the fact that participating as a speaker at an event is time-intensive for an executive, and the reach of a byline can be somewhat limited depending on the publication. In comparison, publishing a post via LinkedIn or Facebook enables the author to reach potentially millions of targeted readers and build awareness and influence.

Companies looking to build the profile of their executives via LinkedIn or Facebook should consider the following:

  • Allocate resources to thought-leadership campaigns. This may mean redirecting resources from brand-centered campaigns or initiatives. Time needs to be allocated for not only writing the posts and publishing them, but engaging with readers through comments and participating in conversations on the platform through relevant groups and other influencers’ posts.
  • Know where your target audience is most active and engaged. There are a number of platforms to consider. Keep your organizational objectives in mind and who you need to reach to achieve those objectives. For example, LinkedIn might be more appropriate for B2B audiences, while Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram might be more appropriate for consumers.
  • Identify the individuals within your organization who can be the face of your business with a specific audience. Build out a thought-leadership platform for each individual that is authentic to the person, reinforces the organization’s message(s), and is relevant to the intended target audience.
  • Measure the impact. Track which posts receive the most views, shares and comments. Monitor other analytics available to you – e.g., company website traffic referred by LinkedIn, Facebook, etc., proactive media inquiries soliciting input/comment, incoming speaking requests and customer/sales inquiries.

The role of PR is continually evolving based on the tools that are available (e.g., LinkedIn, Medium, Twitter, etc.) and the changing needs of the audiences we are looking to reach. Consider, for example, the millennial generation, which is the largest generation by population. This powerful group is more concerned with a brand’s persona, which needs to be articulated and “lived” through its executives, spokespersons and employees.

“Even B2B companies need to understand that the train stops at consumers, so they need to connect more directly,” states Luis Gallardo in the CMO magazine article “Is Your Brand Personal Enough For Millennials?” As target audiences’ needs evolve, so too should PR strategies and tactics.

Executives looking to build their brand need to look to new and innovative ways to build their own personal brands. As millennials come of age and become the biggest generation in U.S. history, thought leadership and personal brand management will only become more critical.

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How to Hold a Successful Press Conference

When done right, a press conference can be a very effective way to convey company news. Organizations can deliver more information than a press release allows for and spokespeople can explain the wider implications of the news in more detail.

In addition, a press conference is an efficient way to brief numerous journalists and news outlets at once. Briefing 10 journalists individually in 30-minute interviews would take five hours of a spokesperson’s time, whereas with a one-hour press conference, you can share information with 10 journalists simultaneously.

Recently Communiqué PR had the opportunity to support Bank of America’s press conference with the Seattle Police Department (SPD) in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The press conference, held on June 23, 2016, announced Bank of America’s participation in the SPD’s Safe Place initiative, an effort to make Seattle safer for its diverse communities by providing places of refuge for victims of LGBTQ-related crimes or harassment. Bank of America is the largest financial institution to join this initiative.

Bank of America’s team organized the event and relied on Communiqué PR to manage media outreach. It was a successful joint effort, so we thought it would be helpful to reflect on why it was a success and share best practices for organizing press conferences. To hold a successful press conference you need to:

1. Have relevant and newsworthy information to share – This is essential: If there isn’t a timely news hook, journalists will not attend. They are simply too busy to attend an event that they cannot produce a story from. Timing is crucial for reporters to map out their schedules and plan timely, relevant stories to air or publish. For example, Bank of America and the SPD’s press conference happened days before the Seattle Pride weekend celebration, so equality and support for the LGBTQ community were hot news topics. It was also the one-year anniversary of the launch of the SPD Safe Place program.

2. Leverage credible spokespeople – Your spokespeople are critical to the success of your press conference because they deliver the message. You should have two to four knowledgeable and credible individuals speak, and each spokesperson should be present for a short period – three to five minutes is usually long enough to deliver key messages. At the SPD Safe Place press conference, speakers included:

          • Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole
          • Seattle Police Officer Jim Ritter
          • Louise Chernin, president of the Greater Seattle Business Association
          • Hyeok Kim, deputy mayor for the City of Seattle
          • Anthony DiBlasi, Seattle Market and Washington State president for Bank of America Seattle
          • Michael Bailey, financial center manager at Bank of America

While this particular press conference had six speakers, which is higher than the norm, each person had specific expertise and information to share with regard to the relevance and importance of the program. Furthermore, Michael Bailey’s remarks were especially powerful as he shared details of his assault. He explained how a business aided him by reaching out to law enforcement and medical personnel.

3. Create photo opportunities – In order to get broadcast media to attend, you need to plan compelling photo and video opportunities. Consider these questions: Do you need a banner behind the podium? Is the signage easy to read? Will there be any activities that are visually compelling? At the SPD Safe Places press conference a poster of the initiative logo, which features the rainbow flag, was displayed prominently in front of the podium and SPD Officer Jim Ritter applied a SPD Safe Place decal to the Bank of America window during the event.

4. Hold it at a convenient place and time – Mid-morning is an ideal time for a press conference because it accommodates news cycles and usually aligns with reporters’ schedules. Remember, the media are on tight schedules, so you will want to hold the event at a place they can get to quickly and easily. The Capitol Hill neighborhood is a centrally located, diverse community with LGBTQ-friendly businesses and rainbow-painted crosswalks, so this made it a particularly conducive place for the SPD Safe Places press conference, both for location and visual impact.

5. Develop a compelling media advisory/invitation – If possible, you will want to send your media advisory out to print media about three days in advance of your press conference. For broadcast media, they should get the invite one day in advance. You will also want to make sure your event is on the daybooks of wire services. (A daybook is a localized news distribution service that delivers your news and event information to a specific city).

Following below are several other important things to keep in mind when organizing a press conference:

    • Create an agenda and make sure all the spokespeople are clear on their roles and responsibilities during the press conference.
    • Make sure spokespeople feel comfortable making their remarks and have anticipated the questions they might receive. It is also important to ensure there is no message overlap among the speakers. Each speaker should have a unique message to deliver or he might not belong at the podium.
    • Designate someone to greet the TV reporters and make sure they know what access they have for filming.
    • Provide journalists with any necessary background material or follow up via email after the press conference to provide any fact sheets or backgrounders they might need.
    • Ask spokespeople to make themselves available after the press conference in case journalists need to capture additional sound bites or quotes.
    • Share articles and other content from the event on social media. You also may want to share your photos of the event on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Finally, you should consider asking other community leaders and stakeholders to share the information along with any resulting press coverage.

Following below is a summary of the coverage that resulted from Bank of America and the SPD’s Safe Place press conference:

It is an exciting time for Bank of America as the company continues to deepen its long-standing commitment to valuing diversity and inclusion among employees and across the communities it serves. We were honored to help them deliver their message and hope these tips are helpful as you plan your next press conference.

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Spaceflight Announces New Funding and an Acquisition

Last month, Spaceflight Industries, a next-generation space company dedicated to democratizing access to space and one of our clients at Communiqué PR, announced it secured $18 million of Series B financing led by technology growth investor Mithril Capital Management, in a round that is expected to raise up to $25 million. This was Mithril’s first investment in a commercial space company and in addition to leading the round, Mithril reinforced its commitment to Spaceflight’s mission by placing its co-founder and managing general partner, Ajay Royan, on the company’s board of directors.

This round of financing, which was joined by previous investors in Spaceflight Industries, including RRE Venture Capital, Vulcan Capital and Razor’s Edge Ventures, will help the company execute on strategic initiatives, including the acquisition of OpenWhere, Inc., a Virginia-based company that will further enhance and execute on the geospatial data platform for satellite imagery promised by BlackSky, a business line under the Spaceflight umbrella. Initially launched in 2015, BlackSky plans to deploy a constellation of 60 imaging satellites to orbit the earth and provide near real-time images of the planet to customers at a price unmatched in the industry.

Communiqué PR understood that this funding and acquisition news was significant not only to Spaceflight Industries, but also to the broader commercial space and geospatial industry, as well as to business and investment press. As such, we believed there would be strong interest in the news and developed a strategy to inform the industry and drive awareness of Spaceflight’s accomplishments toward its goal of democratizing access to space.

Our approach involved developing a targeted press list focused on journalists covering business deals, investments and the commercial space and geospatial industries. We also worked closely with Spaceflight Industries to finalize a press release and with Mithril’s PR manager to capitalize on the firm’s relationships with select media. Finally, we offered the news under embargo to targeted media in order to ensure accuracy and drive coverage to hit around the official distribution date. Speaking of which, we scheduled the news to cross the wire on the first day of the NewSpace conference, an industry event that was being held for the first time in Seattle on June 21, to drive additional buzz about the company with attendees, including press.

We are pleased to say that we have secured 28 articles around the news thus far, with additional articles about Spaceflight Industries and its mission still pending. Here are some highlights of the coverage secured thus far:

In addition to Spaceflight Industries’ funding news, the company’s launch business, Spaceflight Services, announced a successful launch later the same day. During a party hosted by Spaceflight Industries for NewSpace conference attendees, Spaceflight displayed live-stream video of the launch of an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) carrying a payload brokered by Spaceflight comprised of 12 Dove satellites owned by Planet. Once the launch was confirmed a success, we hit send and shared the news with a tailored list of target press and garnered nine articles in key industry publications including SpaceNews, Spaceflight Now, Via Satellite and SatNews, among others.

Communiqué PR congratulates Spaceflight Industries for these milestones and we look forward to supporting and celebrating the company’s continued growth and innovation. To find out more about how Spaceflight is shaking up the space industry, please visit www.spaceflight.com.

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Planning a Corporate Event? Read This First

On Wednesday, June 22, I started the drive from Sunnyside, Washington, back to Seattle feeling giddy and relieved. After three months of working with Darigold to plan and execute its Sunnyside plant expansion celebration for 400 guests, the event was over and it was a success.

Whether your guest list is for 4 people or 400, planning an event can be a formidable challenge. There are hundreds of details to manage, which also means there are hundreds of possibilities for your best laid plans to be disrupted. Here are five lessons I took away from my experience to ensure your next big event goes smoothly.

1)      Encourage oversharing.  

Working with busy time-strapped executives has trained me to keep the number of emails I send (and their content) to a minimum. However, event planning is the exception to that rule. Oversharing is key to ensuring everyone is on the same page to achieve the team’s vision. A few of the tactics we implemented were creating a master document clearly outlining essential details and each person’s roles and responsibilities, hosting weekly calls and developing a contact sheet.

2)      Resist the urge to do everything yourself.

When you’re immersed in a project, you can convince yourself it’s simpler to power through rather than delegating to someone else. The truth is, the sooner you realize you need help, the better off you’ll be. Make a list of all the activities that need to be completed and be honest about which jobs are necessary for you to manage. For the remaining tasks, identify team members with the bandwidth and skillset who can assist you. When delegating, set deadlines and deliverables to ensure you’re not creating more work for yourself.

3)      Make it easy for media to say yes.

Journalists receive invitations to openings, launch parties and press conferences daily and their schedules fill up quickly. If securing media for your event is a priority, I recommend sending invitations as early as possible, preferably at least one to two months in advance. For the actual invite, remember you’re competing with every other organization that wants media at their event that day. The more assets and visual opportunities you can offer in your pitch increases your likelihood of receiving a positive response to your RSVP. For example, in addition to offering on-camera interviews with executives, we arranged a private tour of the facility for media. To accommodate their schedules, we also provided media with the option of an abbreviated tour route. This approach allowed us to host media from broadcast stations KIMA and KNDO/KNDU.

4)      It’s okay to be a bit of a worrywart.

No one ever wants to be accused of being a Negative Nancy, but it can actually be a plus when planning an event. By anticipating the worst case scenarios (within reason, of course), you can problem solve and communicate backup plans to your team well ahead of time. This can include renting a tent for inclement weather, having blank name tags for last minute attendees, building in extra time on the schedule and hiring security.

5)      Keep calm and carry on.

As I mentioned earlier, no matter how thorough your plan is, something unexpected can still pop up. Even if it seems as though everything is going wrong, do your best to avoid letting it show outwardly. Chances are, if you start panicking so will everyone around you. Remain calm and act quickly, and you should be able to maneuver yourself out of almost any situation.

While planning an event can be stressful and at times, exhausting, the satisfaction and pride from a job well done make it all worth it. The last piece of event planning wisdom I’ll leave with you is from Sunnyside’s plant technical manager and cheese master Tom Rouleau who reminded me that above all; make sure to have enough food for everyone.

(Special thanks to Bear Trade Show, Cliff’s Septic Tank Service, Country Gentleman, Frost Me Sweet, and Roy’s Audio Visual for your services!)

In case you missed it, here’s some great coverage of the Darigold event:

Darigold unveils multi-million dollar plant expansion

Darigold plant in Sunnyside celebrates expansion

Darigold celebrates plant expansion

A big day for Darigold

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Rebranding – A Cautionary Tale

Deloitte Digital announced on July 15 that it would be rebranding for the first time in 13 years. The term rebranding comes with a lot of mixed reviews. Over the last ten years there have been a variety of horror stories surrounding companies attempting to ‘modernize’ their image and the disasters that resulted. But, there have also been quite a few success stories- where companies have completely changed their image and turned impressive profits.

So what should Deloitte, or any company considering rebranding, keep in mind to ensure that modernizing their brand ends in success instead of failure?

1. Do not rebrand just for the sake of rebranding

Companies should only rebrand if there is a need for it. Rebranding simply because ‘it has been awhile’ can come back to bite you and have a devastating effect on customer brand loyalty.

PepsiCo ran into this problem in 2010, when it rebranded its Tropicana orange juice. They ditched the straw-in-orange container design most Americans have known and loved since childhood for a sleeker, more modernized look. Needless to say, it did not go over well. Sales dropped by 20 percent before PepsiCo reconsidered and brought back the original logo.

However, if your company is not reaching the appropriate target markets anymore, or has become a brand of the past, a revamp can do wonders for bringing the company into a new light.

For decades, Old Spice was considered ‘your grandfather’s deodorant’, but in 2010 Old Spice launched an ad campaign starring former NFL player Isaiah Mustafa with the opening line “Look at your man, now back to me.” Old Spice was able to reposition their products in the market after the ad went viral and the grandfather connotation was forgotten, spiking sales by 11 percent in 12 months.

2. Brand identity is important

This is especially important for well-known brands. As a marketing or PR professional, you have to understand how your company is perceived by consumers. If your company is well-established in its market and known for reliability, changing a timeless logo or other prominent parts of the brand can cause a huge customer upset

Take Gap, for example. In 2010, Gap was part of one of the fastest branding turnarounds, and disasters, of all time. They launched a new logo that was supposed to be the start of a companywide reinvention. The logo was so hated by the public that they reverted back to the original design just six days later and stopped the company rebranding until further notice. The strong relationship between the Gap logo and Gap’s overall brand identity was overlooked when planning for the rebranding.

What Gap could have done is rebranded without changing the logo by focusing on changing the way the company is viewed. Repositioning a company is often more effective for established brands than changing prominent logos.

Avis Car Rental provides a striking example. After years of being second to Hertz, in 1962 Avis decided to try a new direction, and in a stroke of genius, rebranded the entire company under the slogan “When you’re only No. 2, you try harder. Or else.” Changing their slogan and positioning their company as humble and hardworking caused the market-share gap between Avis and Hertz to go from 61-29 to 49-36 and tripled revenue.

3. Do not rebrand the company as something it is not

Attempting to pull the wool over consumers eyes and convince them that your company’s values are different than they are will, first, probably will not work, and second, will cause a lot of negative feedback.

BP made this exact mistake. In 2000, BP changed its logo of 70 years to the current Helios logo it has today. The logo was supposed to be a reflection of BP’s green initiative. The problem is that BP is an oil drilling company, and there is nothing green about drilling for oil. It did not help that ten years later BP was responsible for the largest marine oil spill in history, which prompted Greenpeace to start Beyond the Logo, a competition that challenged artists to create a BP logo that ‘truly reflected the company’.

In contrast, reminding consumers of what your brand values can have a positive impact. If public perception of your company has strayed from the company’s ideals, then rebranding can be as simple as trying to return the brand to its original message.

Burberry provides a good example of this. As a luxury brand that is world renowned, it ran into an image problem when their signature tan, black and red plaid became affiliated with British gangs. To fight this issue, Burberry simply reminded consumers that they were, in fact, a luxury brand by revamping their old designs in a sleek and stylish way and enlisting the help of well-known celebrities for their ad campaigns. Sales skyrocketed and the rumors of gang affiliation completely disappeared once the rebranding campaign was complete

Rebranding can have a huge impact on a company, positive or negative. Keeping the tips above in mind can help make the transition easier, though there is never a guarantee rebranding will go over well. Deloitte’s rebranding campaign will be something to watch over the next few weeks as they have decided to implement their changes slowly. Whether or not it is a success, only time will tell.

Check out our other posts on building a trusted brand and increasing brand awareness.

 

 

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Four PR Takeaways From my Time at Communiqué

As my time at Communiqué PR winds down—I recently made the bittersweet decision to leave Seattle and head home to California—I’ve given pause for thought, reflecting on my time at the firm. For nearly three years, I’ve worked alongside the brilliant bunch at Communiqué, beginning as an intern and transitioning to an AAE and then AE role. During this time I’ve experienced the full gamut of boutique agency life—working with a variety of clients, in industries ranging from tech to marketing to power conversion solutions, on an array of PR and communications projects. There has been a myriad of lessons along the way, but a few meaningful ones stand out, including:

Embrace Change & Be Flexible – No day looks the same in PR. Client announcements and pitches, inbound media requests and new business proposals, among others, keep you on your toes constantly. Therefore it’s crucial to be flexible and nimble as client and internal requests come your way.

Additionally, as the digital landscape continues to evolve and, as a result, how news is consumed changes, communications strategies will need to evolve alongside it. This further proves the paramount benefit of an agile PR professional.

Do the Research & Ask Questions – Though it may seem obvious, coming (over) prepared will go miles for building relationships internally and externally. Come prepared by doing your research well in advance of meetings and, while in the meeting, ask questions and listen. Having the right information will help inform plans, pitches, bylines, etc.

This also applies to day-to-day PR activities. Do the research to ensure your clients are prepared for media briefings, research appropriate media contacts, and ask questions internally to ensure alignment on project expectations. This list goes on, but doing your homework will ensure you not only get the job done, but that it gets done well.

Cultivate Relationships – A crucial element of PR is building and maintaining relationships with clients, media and coworkers. Taking the time to build meaningful relationships, though, will take a PR career to the next level.

As mentioned above, taking the time to listen to client needs and goals will not only enhance communications strategies, but will also enrich the partnership. This approach also transfers to journalists and analysts relations. Carefully research coverage areas, inquire about topics of interest and take the time to target outreach accordingly and the results will follow. Finally, tap internal sources and utilize the unique background of coworkers to take client work to the next level.

Think Long-Term – Take time to understand the client’s business and communications goals and then map a PR plan to match that. Build this strategy into all activities and take the time to accurately frame clients’ stories with the media. Coverage just for coverage’s sake is not a sustainable strategy, nor will it necessarily portray the right messages to the appropriate audience. Think creatively to position clients in a unique light with media, which will ultimately create a value-add experience for journalists, readers and clients alike.

In summary, PR is about consistently delivering a brand’s messages across the appropriate mediums. However, the key is to do so while also remaining nimble, asking the right questions and doing the appropriate prep work, building thoughtful relationships, and thinking strategically.

These four takeaways only begin to graze the surface of the lessons learned during my time at Communiqué. I was fortunate to be surrounded by a supportive and creative team, offering a truly unparalleled experience. I’m beyond thankful for the opportunities I was presented with at Communiqué PR and am looking forward to seeing the phenomenal results the firm executes next.

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