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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.

Should PR Pros Be Engaging in Comment Sections Online?

In today’s digital world, PR pros are offered an array of avenues to help voice their client’s message and shape public opinion. Comment sections are among these channels, but pose an interesting dilemma.  Comment sections have become the playground for “trolls,” or negative commenters. These “trolls” pose a risk of defaming the efforts of PR pros. So the question remains: Should PR pros engage in comment sections?

In a recent article in PRWeek the two sides debated this argument. Both sides seemed to agree that comment sections are necessary in some circumstances, but varied in their opinion of the degree of involvement PR pros should expend on these comment sections.

Jeffrey Zack “disagrees” with engaging people in the comment sections. Zack sees a variety of options to carry out your client’s message. Comment sections are among these, but are riddled with people just looking to rant on a subject. While he believes these sections should be avoided, Zack says that if information is incorrect, comment sections are where you can set the record straight. PR pros should consider other approaches before rebutting in the comment section though, such as requesting a correction if the information is incorrect.

The argument in favor of commenting, written by Paul Rand, pointed out that PR pros should be allowed to clarify or correct wrong information in the comment section. Letting this incorrect information sit on the internet would be a mistake. Rand points out that comments should only be left if it makes strategic sense.

Comment sections are bound to persist, so communicators in PR should use this outlet to leverage their message when appropriate. When commenting on something in relation to a client, it may be a wise call to disclose that you assist with PR for the company.  By being up front about the situation, you alleviate the risk of a commenter’s backfire if you were to not disclose this information and then were discovered.

Forming responses to comments should be done so cautiously. It is vitally important to not get worked up over irrational, negative and sometimes even violent comments.  You cannot stoop to the “troll’s” level, for what you think to be a witty comment back could risk your image and or the image of your client.  Giving these “trolls” more fuel will backfire.

Some companies have tried to remedy this comments backlash by removing comment sections.  This may be a mistake, though, because comment sections show the public that you care about their opinion.  Negative comments are bound to happen, but handling these situations with poise and a clear head will ensure a smooth message and delivery.

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Turning up the Heat – Driving Awareness Through Targeted Media Outreach

With 2013 behind us and the new year just getting underway, now is a great time to look back at the year and reflect on the unique and interesting client campaigns that we worked on at Communiqué PR. One client for whom we’ve had a great experience driving publicity over the course of 2013 is Mobidia.

Mobidia, a leading mobile analytics provider with the largest global sample of smartphone and tablet users, provides unique insights into mobile usage trends on mobile applications and mobile networks. Mobidia’s main commodity is usage data: real usage from real users on both cellular and Wi-Fi networks, which provides a comprehensive and unique understanding of what people do and value in the mobile world.

Mobidia has grown quickly over the past 15 months, and as such, we’ve partnered with Vice President of Marketing Chris Hill to scale up our media efforts and draw awareness for Mobidia’s main commodity: data.

In order to do so, our main objective was (and is) to establish Mobidia as a resource for media when they need data to build out or provide evidence for a story. To accomplish this, we employed the following tactics, which I’ll explore in greater detail below:

  • Targeted media outreach
  • A steady drumbeat of news
  • Bylines or contributed articles

Targeted media outreach

In order to reach journalists who actively write using usage data, we started tracking stories that feature data and reaching out to journalists, offering up Mobidia as a source.

Tracking what journalists are writing about is relatively seamless in this day and age. We leveraged Google Alerts and Twitter to ensure that we caught all the journalists for whom Mobidia could be a future resource.

A steady drumbeat of news

In addition to reaching out to journalists who made active use of data in their stories, we also put out a steady drumbeat of news on newsworthy topics in the fall of 2013. This provided us with collateral and relevant examples to offer journalists, and often resulted in standalone coverage.

We partnered with Mobidia to identify what newsworthy storylines they could distribute interesting, meaningful and credible data on – and with the rise of mobile apps, there were many opportunities! Over the course of the fall of 2013, we issued the following releases on topical subjects:

Bylines / Contributed Articles

To build thought leadership for Mobidia’s team, and to provide Mobidia’s own perspective and analysis on trends in data, we also work with Chris to pursue byline opportunities whenever it made sense.

In the fall of 2013, we secured and published three bylines:

Results

In addition to the three bylines mentioned above, we secured 51 articles and mentions from November 2013 through December 2013, amounting to 54 total pieces of coverage.

These results are detailed below, and range from the Wall Street Journal to coverage in blogs like BGR.

We have thoroughly enjoyed partnering with Mobidia to drive awareness around its data. Working with Chris Hill and the team at Mobidia is always an excellent experience, and we look forward to continuing to place stories on Mobidia’s unique data in 2014.

We’ve also been grateful for the skilled and helpful journalists we’ve worked with on behalf of our client. We’ve connected with a wide range of interesting and insightful industry professionals, and are excited to see the stories that come from these publications in 2014.

Here’s to a data-filled New Year!

Results (Detailed)

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Seattle’s Seahawks Victory Parade and the Importance of Celebrating Success

This past Wednesday, an epic event overtook the city of Seattle: the Seahawks Super Bowl victory parade. According to news reports, some 700,000 people flooded the downtown streets to go full Beast Mode and revel in the Seahawks’ win—the first Super Bowl victory in the history of the franchise. In a city of 634,535, this very well may have been the largest gathering in Seattle history.

The event was certainly momentous in every sense of the word. The Seattle City Council voted to name the day “Seattle Seahawks Day.” Gov. Jay Inslee declared 12:12 p.m. an observed “moment of loudness” across the entire state. Many businesses closed, some schools shut down and those that didn’t experienced unusually high absentee rates. Transportation routes and downtown establishments were completely overwhelmed by the tremendous influx of attendees.

Along with a couple of my colleagues, I personally took a few hours away from my desk to trek down to the parade route. And as I stood on the sidewalk, chock-full of screaming Seattleites donning blue and green, I was reminded of a fact that we often forget: the importance of taking the time to celebrate success. Many missed work that day, skipped school or trekked for miles, but each bystander made time to come and rejoice, along with the fellow 12th Man, in our—yes, our—Super Bowl win. This was our team, our city and our success—and little could stop anyone from celebrating it.

As PR pros, we enjoy investing our time into projects for our clients, and work hard and often to deliver results. In such a fast-paced setting, it can be easy to get swept up in the work, shifting immediately from one achievement into working toward another. But to be truly productive, we need motivation—and being recognized for our achievements is one of the greatest motivators we have in the workplace.

We’ve all heard that it is important to set goals—they give us something to work toward and create a sense of purpose that inspires us. However, there is little point in establishing goals unless you take the time to recognize when you’ve reached them. This recognition can be invaluable to promoting confidence and pride in our work—which translates into more meaningful, quality results.

Here at Communiqué, we certainly value taking the time to celebrate accomplishments among our colleagues and our clients—honoring these individual achievements helps ensure the success of our entire team. From pats on the back to team outings and parties, we think it’s tremendously important to stop every now and then to just enjoy a moment of celebration. We take great pride in delivering valuable results for our clients—and recognizing when we’ve done a good job just makes it that much more rewarding.

Oh, and GO HAWKS!

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Communiqué PR Enhances Its Global Influence by Joining Public Relations Network

It is only February, yet 2014 is already proving to be an exciting year for Communiqué PR! Communiqué is now the official U.S.-based partner for Public Relations Network (PRN), a global network of public relations agencies dedicated to providing high-level consultancy and quality support for worldwide campaigns. PRN has a high-caliber network of partners in 25 countries outside of the U.S. that will surely be invaluable assets to our team.

Just as we will provide assistance to foreign firms developing U.S.-based campaigns, we will also receive support from agencies in the member countries, including Germany, Australia, Morocco, Venezuela and many more. This new access to partners around the world will be highly beneficial to our clients as we continue to tell their stories to not only a national audience, but a global one as well.

“Given the global nature of today’s marketplace, most of our clients are looking to reach audiences internationally, as well as in the U.S.,” said Jennifer Gehrt, co-founder and partner at Communiqué PR. “Membership in PRN makes it possible for us to extend our reach to critical markets around the world in a seamless and cost effective manner.”

Working globally is nothing new for Communiqué PR; however, this network of support will only strengthen our abilities to reach a broader range of outlets and secure more opportunities for our clients. Last year Communiqué collaborated with the German Public Relations firm, Sympra, also a member of PRN, in securing coverage for Siemens in the U.S. After having this collaborative experience and success with this global campaign, PRN will provide Communiqué PR with the chance to continue cultivating relationships with firms abroad.

“Communiqué PR’s experience in working with global campaigns and delivering successful results made it the natural choice when searching for a U.S.-based firm,” said Chairman of the Board of PRN, Veit Mathauer. “We look forward to the benefits they will bring to the network.”

As Communiqué PR will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2014, it seems appropriate that we take this exciting new step towards expanding our network. The market place has changed and expanded since we opened in 2004, but we continue to adapt and grow with it; and by doing so, offer the best possible service to our clients. We are excited to see the effects of this new partnership and the prospects it will bring.

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Branded Content: It’s the Future – How Will Your Firm Approach It?

I was catching up on some industry-related reading recently, and came across myriad stories about branded content and how this critical strategy is blurring the lines among marketing services. One story in particular, “The Power of Content,” caught my eye, as it was published in a “branded content” special advertising section of Advertising Age paid for by the Council of Public Relations Firms.

The article addresses public relations’ role in the branded content space and references a spirited debate during the Council of Public Relations Firms’ annual Critical Issues Forum in October 2013 (I mentioned I was catching up, right?). The themed forum, “Content Frenzy!,” brought together experts in public relations, journalism and content strategy to discuss how and if public relations firms can stay ahead of the competition as marketers, ad agencies and publishers all strive to stake a claim on the content development and strategy space.

“Without question, the lines around the whole marketing-services mix have blurred,” said Chris Perry, president-digital, Weber Shandwick. “In the case of branded content, I’m not sure there are lines. This is the dawn of a new era for the way marketing communications is going to be done.”

For PR practitioners, whose stock in trade is storytelling and audience engagement, these blurred lines create more competition for agencies and ups the ante in terms of the quality of the content delivered on behalf of clients.

“The most important thing about this [content development] is that if you do it wrong, you create ineffective vanity publishing on behalf of your client,” said Christopher Graves, global CEO, Ogilvy Public Relations. “If you do it well, you create very powerful tools that will help propel your clients’ business and reputation ambitions. The real differentiator here is: ‘Is it effective content?’”

The debate continued as panelists discussed the practical elements involved in the development of branded content, and whether firms should create their own, hire an outside writer to produce content, or rent content from other sources. Each of these options has its distinct set of benefits and associated costs. For example, renting and licensing content written by known branded sources is a fairly painless and affordable option, allowing firms access to a plethora of stories relevant to their topics and the quality is assured as it’s already been used in major publications. Contrarily, building content internally requires a major commitment to talent and capital expenditures, but it also allows for more control over quality and delivery for timeliness.

Some panelists, including BuzzMachine founder and media critic Jeff Jarvis, wanted attendees to understand that as PR practitioners, the content we produce must not be disguised as traditional journalism. According to Jarvis, PR is about relationships, not creating content, and he advised that PR firms stay away from branded content. As told by Patrick Coffee at PRNewser, Jarvis emphasized that “journalism” isn’t about promoting the business interests of a client by dressing up an old strategy in a new suit.

While there are seemingly as many opinions on the subject as there are marketers, the one thing that everyone can agree on is that a strategy for producing authentic and effective branded content is critical for marketing services – especially PR, which needs to remain competitive. We are storytellers, after all, and the stories we share with target audiences must resonate in order to be effective. Fortunately, because we are storytellers, we may just have a bit of an advantaged

Check out the following links for more about “Content Frenzy!” and subsequent coverage of takeaways from the debate:

What do you think about PR’s role in branded content? Please share your comments.

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STEM Education is Still a Problem, Especially for Small Tech

If you’ve been to a technology conference in the last few years then you’ve heard about our country’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education crisis. You’ve heard that our country’s future economy depends on training more students in these critical fields to prepare them for jobs in programming, engineering and more.

A lot of statistics get thrown around to illustrate the problem. Primarily, most communicators working on STEM position the issue as an economic one, and use data to show how the crisis affects the sustainability of growth for the tech and advanced manufacturing industries. If you need a primer, check out this helpful infographic from Microsoft. The most standout stat to me is that 80 percent of jobs in the next decade will require technology skills while, at this rate, just 16 percent of bachelor’s degrees in 2020 will specialize in STEM.

The problem is so pronounced that many companies and nonprofits have made STEM education the centerpiece of their corporate social responsibility and grant programs. Groups like Code.org, a learning website sponsored by the likes of Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, is a great example. We had the pleasure to see its founder, Hadi Partovi, pitch the importance of Code.org at last year’s GeekWire Summit. You can see a video of his presentation here.

To put another exclamation point on the issue, just this week President Obama referenced the need for better STEM education in his State of the Union address.

The point is, STEM education is critically important to the tech industry, and many companies, industry leaders and nonprofits are all pushing in numerous ways to solve the problem. But even now, with the attention of Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and President Obama, it can still be difficult to communicate the problem of STEM broadly.

Why is that?

Similar to communicating around technology products or trends, communicating around STEM education often requires translating complex concepts, data or information into easily digestible articles. Just like it can be a challenge (albeit a fun one!) to tell a story about a new niche software product, it can be difficult to explain how a student’s success in AP Physics might impact our country’s future economy.

But this makes tech PR professionals the right voices to communicate the importance of STEM. It’s an issue that is relevant to our clients and therefore to our business, and it deals with topics that we work on almost every day.

At Communiqué PR, we see a number of organizations with footprints in the Seattle area focusing on STEM, such as Boeing, Microsoft, The Bezos Family Foundation, Google and many others. Washington STEM is one of the area’s leading nonprofits working on the issue. I’ve been impressed with the group’s ability to work with state policymakers and corporate citizens while making the issue accessible to the general public.

But while many large tech companies have put their stamp on the STEM Issue, Seattle’s smaller tech companies and startups rely on the same talent pool. They should also play a role in solving our STEM issue. Our local public radio station, KUOW, reported last year that more than 48,000 software engineers were employed in the Seattle metro area. In addition to mainstays in the Seattle market like Amazon and Microsoft, Silicon Valley companies like Google are growing their engineering presences in Seattle to take advantage of our city’s tech talent.

This is only going to increase competition for local talent and make it more important than ever for us to train the next generation of workers—especially as startups and small and midsize tech companies must compete more and more for talent with tech giants.

It’s been more than six years since the U.S. National Academies published its report on the STEM crisis, “Rising Above the Gathering Storm,” and launched the modern STEM movement. Two presidential administrations and countless corporate grant dollars later, it’s just as big of a problem today as it was then. And while some in the tech industry might be feeling STEM fatigue, it’s critical to continue to keep focusing on the issue—particularly for those growing and smaller tech companies who need smart new team members.

That’s why it’s crucial for tech communicators to keep telling the jobs story on STEM and to make sure all stakeholders—small and large tech companies, legislators and residents of cities buoyed by tech growth—understand its importance.

 

Credit: Microsoft Corporation, www.microsoft.com.
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