Insights for Leaders Navigating
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.

The Cornerstone of Developing a New Brand: Effective Messaging

At Communiqué PR, we often have the opportunity to work with clients who are in the early stages of establishing their company in the marketplace. In today’s competitive environment, launching a new business and capturing customer mindshare is no easy feat. Especially considering when “the rise of business startups reached their highest level in 14 years in 2009 despite the recession and record unemployment,” according to the findings in the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity issued in May 2010. Given this, what are the key components to launching a solid brand that will break through the competition, capture the attention and loyalty of your customers and ultimately drive revenue?

The Wall Street Journal recently featured a story with answers to this exact question provided by five members of the Young Entrepreneur Council. Each member provided strong tips and suggestions on how to leverage social media to build brand awareness, creating a long-term strategy and a brand name that will connect with your customers. However, it was the tip provided by Tina Wells, founder of Buzz Marketing Group that is the cornerstone of developing a solid brand: “Understand your customers and focus on creating messages that make an impact.”

When developing key messaging for your brand, it is critical to understand who your customers are and what motivates and resonates with them. As Tina suggested, “begin with research – both qualitative and quantitative.” Also, identify what your company’s mission and values are, its strengths and weaknesses and even personality. You have most likely already identified who your competitors are, but what are they communicating and how does it differ from what you provide?

When we begin working with a new or emerging company, our team first asks “what are the key messages?” If our client is not able to articulate them or suggests their current messaging needs to be re-developed, we often recommend conducting a messaging workshop to help them come up with the right language to wow their market. To do this, we engage in meaningful discussions with key executives, as well as conduct extensive industry and customer research to identify all of necessary proof points. Once complete, we synthesize our findings to create a powerful positioning statement, effective supporting messages and a story arc.

Positioning statements should be concise, powerful and persuasive statements that enable customers to immediately identify a company’s offering, benefits and value. First impressions are everything, so it is important to make every word count. Your supporting key messaging will include proof points or facts that will prove your brand’s value to a customer and distinguish it from a competitor.

What is your company’s positioning statement and key messages? Does it effectively communicate your company’s value while also differentiating you from your competitors? Does it resonate with your customers? Are your own employees able to succinctly articulate your brand’s attributes? If your messaging is not effective, understand the reasons why and redefine your key messaging to incorporate those findings.

Let’s take for example, Apple, Inc. When the company decided several years ago to give their logo a more modern look, it not only prompted the business to change its name from “Apple Computers” to “Apple, Inc.,” but also redefine its key messaging to illustrate the company’s imagination, innovation and design. Today, the messages are not only conveyed throughout their media relations efforts and marketing communications, but are also demonstrated in their retail stores and employees.

Once you have a complete messaging framework in place, your brand can be consistently positioned across all channels of communication whether through your marketing materials, public relations efforts or social media. Also, it is important to ensure all of your employees are familiar with the new messaging. They are your first brand advocates and their word of mouth will be that much more powerful if they are able to clearly communicate your brand effectively.

Oprah’s New TV Network Opens a Wealth of Opportunity For Companies

With the launch of the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that more than one million viewers tuned in for its first prime-time show airings. According to the article, more women between the ages of 25 and 54 “were watching OWN than were watching all but two other cable networks –ESPN and USA.” In the long term, the hope of Ms. Winfrey and Discovery Communications, Inc., co-owners in the OWN venture, is that Oprah’s reputation will help convert the nearly seven million loyal fans of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” into regular patrons of OWN.

For public relations and marketing professionals, those are some exciting numbers. The demographic of women between 25 and 54 has been a key market for many company and product groups. Most consumer marketing plans would be remiss if they neglected a strategy to reach Oprah’s fan base, otherwise known as the “mommy blogger” segment, as it is a coveted demographic and one that fits neatly into the above mentioned age range.

“A favorable mention from Oprah can make a big difference in awareness, reputation, and sales for products, services, causes – and even political races,” according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. For this reason, most companies are willing to put up a fight to achieve a product placement or mention on the show. However, historically, Oprah’s original talk show was next to impossible to land a product placement or mention on. In fact, several people have documented and written books about their struggles, failures and successes in this realm. Two such books are “How to Get Booked on Oprah, in O Magazine, and on Oprah’s Favorite Things” and “How to Get Booked on Oprah.”

So how will public relations and marketing plans shift with the arrival of OWN, a potential new way to reach that key consumer demographic? OWN features several shows that will be great targets for consumer products, including “Anna and Kristina’s Grocery Bag,” “Master Class,” “Cristina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love” and “The Gayle King Show.”

Despite the uptick in the number of potential shows on which to place a product, I wouldn’t expect the level of difficulty in getting that placement to reduce. As Oprah’s personal and professional influence continues to grow at an exponential rate, so will the amount of companies who target her network. This goes for public relations as well. Now that nearly every consumer product out there is represented by public relations professionals, it’s reasonable to expect that many will be pitching their stories to OWN’s producers. If you do decide to target OWN, we recommend ensuring you have a strong broadcast story to tell, one that is relevant to the audience of the show you are targeting.

Have any of you successfully placed a product on Oprah’s talk show? Will you be taking aim at any of the new programs on OWN? We’d love to hear your stories.

Fostering Creativity

People often ask me how we come up with creative campaign ideas for Communiqué PR clients. In new business meetings, it is a question that is of particular interest. I have to admit coming up with a novel idea or new messaging for a client is one of the most exciting parts of my work in public relations, but it is not always easy to articulate the process we take to come up with our ideas. Nonetheless, creativity is one of the hallmarks of our firm.

It was therefore with great interest that over the holidays I discovered a new book called “Your Creative Brain: Seven Steps to Maximize Imagination, Productivity, and Innovation in Your Life.” Written by Shelley Carson, who based the book on her Harvard psychology course, the book takes an in-depth look at the definition of creativity, how our brains work, provides insight into brain states and provides readers with quizzes and exercises to strengthen one’s creativity.

So what is creativity? Carson explains in her book that there are two key elements to the definition. “First, the creative idea or product needs to be novel or original, and second, it has to be useful or adaptive to at least a segment of the population.” She then goes on to explain how you can apply these elements for the betterment of your life or the lives of those around you. After all, your creativity can have a direct impact on your ability to write a winning business plan, resolve conflict, prepare a fabulous meal for a dinner party or convince your child to begin his or her homework.

I have found her insight into brainsets to be fascinating. She explains, “Just as your mindset determines your mental attitude and interpretation of events, your brainset influences how you think, approach problems, and perceive the world.”

Finally, in her CREATES model she has identified seven brain activation states that are relevant to creativity. They are as follows: Connect; Reason; Envision; Absorb; Transform; Evaluate; Stream.

If you want to continue to foster and develop your creativity, I highly recommend this book. It is an interesting read providing excellent insight into how to better harness the creative process to improve your life, work, relationships and more.

For additional insight into my favorite books, please check out my blog post, “Ten Favorite Business Books” from August 2010.

PR Predictions for 2011

Making predictions and preparing for the future requires reflecting on the past. What changes happened in 2010 that will impact PR professionals in 2011?

I recently made the transition from journalism into PR. During the four years I spent as a reporter, I watched the industry transform with a surge in social media and web-based news. Viewers devour news they can share on the Web and have grown accustomed to information at their fingertips. The trend is not slowing down and feels as though it has sped into overdrive. Like many companies and organizations in today’s economic environment, reporters are being asked to do more with less. It is because of this change that I believe the public relations field will also change in 2011.

Recently I came across an interesting article on Mashable.com written by Sparkpr Marketing Director Leyl Master Black. In her article, Black shares the following five PR predictions for 2011:

Social Sharing of News: As outlined in Black’s article, news releases will need to be more attention-grabbing in 2011 to drive more re-tweets on Twitter. PR professionals will also be pushed to expand their outreach beyond mainstream media towards influential tweeters in the twittersphere. Even though Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have already revolutionized the way people share information, I agree social sharing will continue to flourish in 2011. New platforms will likely emerge and companies and PR professionals will learn to utilize these mediums. It will continue to be important to monitor the results of social media outreach in 2011. I anticipate the tools for monitoring and measuring will continue to evolve.
Increase in Corporate Blogging: Black asserts in the article that corporate blogging will take off in 2011. Despite the fact that blogging has been around for quite some time, some companies have shied away from blogging in the past. However, the continued rise in social media makes corporate blogs a critical vehicle for establishing thought leadership and engaging with key audiences.
Greater Demand for Exclusives: Journalists are under extreme pressure to “break” news, but social media platforms enable news to be uploaded and shared the moment it hits. The article suggests journalists will be more intrigued if they know they will get an exclusive story, opposed to just another mass produced media release. Additionally with the seemingly increased frequency of broken embargoes, some reporters are more interested in exclusives. The news industry has changed, and I agree that with social media becoming a focus for news agencies, individual reporters will demand one-of-a-kind stories to set them apart from the pack.
Growth in Multimedia: According to Black, visual elements that help tell a story are becoming a top priority for many news agencies. Online publications are increasingly uploading videos and pictures to accompany articles and make them more interactive. PR agencies should think about this as they pitch story ideas. I can tell you from my experience as a news reporter with limited resources, it is helpful to have these visual elements handy. You will not only have a happy reporter on your hands, but more visibility for your client.
Data, Graphics and Apps: The final trend shared by Black is the importance of data and graphics. PR teams in 2011 will continue to highlight data and stats within PR pitches. The benefit is to help answer a journalist’s question, “why do I care?” and give your pitch an edge. Numbers provide a compelling piece to a story that can be used as a visual element. Additionally Black points out that we can “expect to see a slew of interactive applications to supplement stories.” The example given is a New York Times article about texting and driving, which included a link to a related game simulating the experience. Graphics, interactive apps and compelling stats are all helpful tools for cash-strapped news agencies hungry for visuals to put on Twitter and Facebook.

Here at Communiqué PR we embrace advancing technologies and know the importance of utilizing social media, blogs and visual aids. The world of media is constantly changing and in order to be successful we must adapt and learn to utilize these tools to our advantage in 2011 and beyond.

If you have any predictions to add, we would love to hear from you!

Quick Tips on How to Prepare for Any Public Speaking Event

Welcome to 2011! At Communiqué PR, we are ready to put our clients’ plans into action and are evaluating which of the many industry events are the right speaking engagements for them. Each week, Mashable’s Brett Petersel shares the “100+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events” and it is shaping up to be another exciting year. This calendar served as a great reminder for us on how best to prepare for any speaking engagement. While we have written about this topic before on our blog in the past, we have a few new ideas that incorporate today’s technology that we thought we would share.

Whether it is a high-profile international event or a local or regional opportunity, speaking engagements provide an excellent way to build thought leadership among peers and potential customers. Regardless of size, it is essential that you take the time to thoughtfully prepare to ensure that you deliver a meaningful presentation. Below are a few tips to consider:

Know the Audience. Identify who will be in your audience. Are you presenting to your colleagues, industry peers or potential customers? Think about what content they are interested in hearing and what questions they might have. Seek to understand what is relevant and top of mind with that specific audience and incorporate those points into your speech. Knowing your audience will enable you to tailor your presentation to be as applicable and informative as possible.

Know Your Roadmap. What do you want to have accomplished at the end of your presentation? What are the key takeaways for the audience? It is likely that you won’t be able to cover everything so decide what is essential, what is important and what would be nice to include. Provide a clear beginning that sets the stage for your audience and gives them a sense of what they will hear from you; a strong middle that clearly covers the essential information you want to share; and, a conclusion that articulately summarizes the few key points or takeaways. As you practice, you can always add in additional examples or stories to illustrate your points if you have additional time. However, usually questions at the end take up more time than you expect.

Practice and Practice Often. You may feel as though you know your material inside and out, but it is important to practice. Rehearse out loud in front of your colleagues, friends or family with all of the equipment (or props) you plan on using. Have your audience time you to ensure you are delivering the entire presentation in the allotted timeframe. You could also video tape yourself and watch for any trouble areas or nervous habits. Regardless of your method, incorporate all of the feedback, revise as needed and master your speech so that it sounds natural.

Visual Aids. To complement your presentation, consider using visuals in PowerPoint to help illustrate your points. Images, graphs or even video and audio can be great enhancements, but know your limit on what you can manage logistically. It is more important to concentrate on your message, not the supporting visuals. Also clarify what equipment will be available on site so you know what you will need to bring and set up.

As you develop your presentation, avoid making your slides text heavy as it may contribute to losing your audience’s attention. It will also be tempting for you to read from the slides rather than engage with your audience.

Be Authentic. Presenting in front of a large group makes most people nervous. While it is important to appear confident and enthusiastic, take a deep breath, relax and be yourself. Connect with your audience by making eye contact, varying your tone and speed, and speak as though you are talking directly to the person furthest away from you. If you make a mistake, admit it and move on. It is important to remember that people want for you to succeed.

Encourage Audience Participation. It is likely that the majority of your audience will have a mobile device with them. While making the polite request to silence their cell phones, do encourage them to participate from your session on Twitter by suggesting a specific hashtag. You could offer a prize as an incentive for the most active Tweeter from the session.

Another way to keep your audience engaged is to ask them questions or conduct a short poll (i.e. how many of you are active on Twitter today?) that can help lead your presentation to the next point. By doing so, it will make for a memorable presentation when your audience feels engaged and participating in a session.

Solicit Feedback. Experience builds confidence, which is essential for public speaking. After the event, solicit feedback from audience members or organizers to learn what worked well and what didn’t work well. This will ultimately help you prepare for your next speaking engagement.

We hope you find this information helpful and a good refresher on how to prepare for a speaking engagement. If you have any additional suggestions on what you found to be helpful, either as a presenter or as an audience member, we would love to hear from you.

Reflections on 2010

It has been a busy year filled with lots of change for us as well as our clients. As the calendar year comes to an end, we like to reflect on the challenges we faced, what we learned and the successes and accomplishments we achieved during the year. Some of the highlights for Communiqué PR in 2010 include the following:

We added several full service and project clients to our roster: Bookbyte, The Bravern, Cautious Patient, Earth Class Mail, Facebook, Florentia Press, Kudos Community, Mud Bay, Northside, Omni Group, Port of Kingston, Serials Solutions, Spoon and Study Blue.
Digonex continued to extend its leadership in the dynamic pricing market. The company was featured in several national publications including The New York Times. This ultimately led to Digonex CEO Jan Eglen’s appearance on Fox Business News to talk about the role of dynamic pricing in the future of tickets.
For Serials Solutions, we focused on the development of more than 10 case studies and about 20 press releases to garner the attention of elite colleges, universities and academic libraries around the world. The company continues to have a significant impact on how the users of college and research libraries discover and access information with its Summon™ service and its 360 family of services. We have enjoyed talking with library directors around the world.
We began working with Bookbyte in July 2010 to help build awareness of the company, the benefits of buying and selling used textbooks as compared to renting and help launch the company’s first digital learning pilot with Salem-Keizer school district. We secured coverage in a variety of outlets, a few of which include The Oregonian, U. The College Magazine, Online College Digest, The Oak Leaf and the below segment that aired in September on KGW TV.

In spring 2010, Facebook approached Communiqué PR seeking assistance in announcing the company’s plans to open an office in Seattle. We partnered with Facebook’s communication team and the Mayor’s office to share the news and build awareness among Seattle’s business and technology community.
We helped Seattle-based Florentia Press launch its first book, “Discover Cooking with Lavender” by Kathy Gehrt. Throughout the year the book gained significant momentum with food writers and bloggers. We also secured numerous author events at local bookstores, nurseries, wineries and culinary shops.

Internal milestones for the year included:

We released the paperback version of our book, “Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principals to Harness the Power of PR.” We were excited to see sales of our book in 2010 increased more than 24 percent over the previous year. For the first time, we placed a sponsored ad to promote our book on Peter Shankman’s HARO in January, which helped drive sales of our book during the year.
In January 2010, we rolled out our new website. This was our first significant website redesign since launching Communiqué PR in 2004. The redesign was led by Susan Giordano and implemented by her team at GKD, a Seattle-based firm specializing in corporate branding, custom website design and product packaging.
During the year, we wrote more than 75 blog posts and saw a significant increase in traffic to our website. We have enjoyed reading the comments and discussions posted by our readers.
We spoke at several events in 2010. A few of them included:
- Enterprise Social 2.0, Amsterdam– Damage Control in Social Media, January 2010
- South Sound PRSA, Tacoma – Writing for Different Mediums, February 2010
- PR+MKTG Camp Seattle – March 2010
- Washington State Community Action Partnership Development Conference, Seattle – Crisis Communication, May 2010
- Washington State Community Action Partnership Development Conference, Seattle – Social Media for Building Community, May 2010
- PNAIS Institutional Advancement Conference, Skamania – Promoting the Value of Independent Schools, June 2010
- Insight Venture Partners Conference, New York – Using Social Media Effectively, July 2010
- University of Washington, Master of Communication and Digital Media, Seattle – Strategic Research and Business Practices, November 2010
Finally, we added several new team members to Communiqué PR increasing the agency’s breadth and depth of experience. We anticipate continuing that growth in 2011!

We are optimistic and excited as we look toward 2011. The coming year is filled with wonderful opportunities. We are honored to work with a stellar group of clients and a long list of supporters. We want to thank those of you with whom we have had the opportunity to work with and look forward to the continued success in the New Year.

Insights for Leaders Navigating Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.