Media Relations

Success with the Media

An organization having a positive relationship with the media is of utmost importance to its success. Not only is the media the channel for a company's message, but it is also a constituency that much be respected. An effective balance or, "give and take" with a media source will evoke respect and mutual understanding from both parties involved. Communication professionals from within the organization must be involved in company strategy in order to provide a transparent view from any media source that comes in contact with the company.

Media coverage of companies has certainly grown in the past generation. Whether the medium is television, radio, print or Internet, there is a constant stream of media reaction and opinion to the daily functions of the business world. This is where a communications team becomes so important. The team becomes the face of an organization, and without diligence, relationships with the media can become strained.

To maintain and foster a relationship with the various sources of media, companies need to first identify the proper outlets for their messages. Researching the "angle" of an upcoming story is important in order to craft a message for the proper audience. When the media calls on a company, the company should be willing to give the outlet the proper time and preparation as to not alienate the contact. Preparation is a key factor in the success of any media relationship. An executive should be familiar with a reporter's previous works and should by all means do a complete rehearsal of the interview before it occurs. This way, the executive will appear more confident and clear while delivering his or her messages.

Jennifer Miele did an excellent job of discussing the importance of a two-way relationship between an organization and a media representative. Her first-hand knowledge of how a relationship fostered in an afternoon can last and be mutually beneficial in the future displayed the necessity of an effective media relations initiative.

First-hand Experience

During our quarterly goals meeting last week, my department discussed an impending article in a trade magazine that will detail one of our new facilities. In the meeting we brainstormed ideas and topics for our executive to discuss with the reporter. This was the first step in what will be an intense preparation for our executive. He will be briefed on all important statistics and how this new facility has increased production and, in turn, customer service.

Our competition has been critical in the past of our business structure and we feel it is important for our executive to go on the record and lay these claims to rest. By the time the interview takes place in December, he will have been prepped with all of the ammunition he needs to effectively display our company's image.

The success that will come (and has come) of this interview is because our marketing department has the knowledge and ability to effectively communicate with the media personnel. Granted, our sole specialties are not in media relations, but each of us carry enough understanding of the process that a solid piece will be constructed.

Each month, the Communications Director at my company sends press releases to roughly ten different publications that print about the steel industry. In the process of receiving a promotion recently, I was contacted by a representative from the magazine who asked a few questions about my history and future plans. This give and take relationship between a publication and my organization is very effective and helps foster future relationships.

In the News

It has been a hard few months for our nation's banks. In this time of crisis, it is important that banks under new ownership provide their customers with knowledge and insight. Here, JPMorgan Chase lets its customers know that their money is safe.

And finally, here is a video from Jennings Public Relations & Advertising discussing the benefits of a "viral" Media Relations campaign:

Corporate Advertising

Making a point

Football is a great sport. In my opinion, it is the true American past-time. With each passing season, however, the games become more and more difficult to watch. A player steps out of bounds. "Well, let's go to a commercial break." Football players are known as sixty-minute men. Perhaps if the amount of commercial breaks were cut in half, they could have a chance to live up to their billing. For instance, CBS charged $2.6 million for a thirty-second spot during the Super Bowl last year.

This cornucopia of advertising is welcomed by the NFL and the networks hosting the games. Millions of dollars are made each year on thirty-second spots for Edge shave gel and Geico Caveman ads. Corporate advertising is an integral part of successful organizations.

The Ways

There are two types of advertising, corporate and product. Corporate advertisements are paid for either by the corporate communication department or directly from the CEO's budget. These corporate ads are designed to enhance the company's image. A good example of such advertising is Chevron's latest initiative. Called "Energyville," the plan is to make consumers aware that Chevron is more than just another big oil company. "Energyville" is a game that lets its players choose different means of powering a city for twenty years. Players are encouraged to share their results and compete with others. This way, consumers are able to take part in a hands-on experiment as opposed to just reading or seeing a static advertisement that may or may not be true.

Product advertising comes from the marketing department. In this day and age, smart phones like the Blackberry and iPhone are all the rage. Therefore, many advertisements are geared towards these types of products. My company sells steel pipe and tube. The majority of our advertisements are of the product persuasion. While some skew the line a bit, they are more product than corporate. Here is a recent advertisement for a new, centrally located facility to make our customers' supply chains more effective:


I am in disagreement with my company's approach to advertising. We have a positive image and reputation in our industry, but we very much lack effective advertising. As a young gun in the marketing department, I realize the importance of a headstrong advertising initiative but the older-hat executives believe customer care and in-depth selling are the most vital keys to success. While they are certainly correct about the keys to our success, I feel we could do more to project our identity to some uninformed potential customers. Trade magazines abound and our failure to advertise in them could hurt our market share going into a recession.

Sending a message

Advertising has been known to effectively convey statements or messages that organizations may believe in. These "advocacy" advertisements could be Microsoft writing a letter to promote the necessity of computers in a classroom or a celebrity like George Clooney holding benefits to stop the genocide in Darfur. Messages of this nature must be fully embraced and explained by organizations as to not alienate their constituencies.

Organizations use advertising for a few reasons. The first, like my company and their product ads, to increase sales. Through the years, executives have focused more on seeing a return-on-investment from their advertising campaigns. This, I believe, is why my company tends to stray from advertising. Not to offend the accountants of the world, but while my organization is sales-based, it is known as an accounting firm (off the record of course) within the company. Without concrete numbers to bear example, they do not believe an in-depth advertising campaign is worth the cost.

Advertising can help to create and reinforce a company's reputation. In the case of the aforementioned Microsoft, their decision to advocate computer literacy to a young generation lets consumers know they [Microsoft] care about our country's future instead of just the millions in revenue.

A strong reputation goes a long way to assisting the next audience for advertising: new employees. The ability to advertise a solid reputation helps companies find and keep the best people and top performers in their respective industries. Employee turnover is a huge cost to organizations, so to build a strong and satisfied employee base leads to years of a successful enterprise.

In short, advertising is how companies display their image to the public. The various means are tailored to each particular industry, but there is no denying that effective advertising can help organizations succeed.

Identity, Image and Reputation

Branding Life

Looking back, I believe it was my seventh grade Reading teacher, Ms. Duckstein (actual name), who one day mentioned a survey she had recently read. The topic of the survey was something along the lines of "Most Recognizable Silhouette". Michael Jordan's was the hands down winner. This was not a national, or even North American, survey. The poll in question reached those across the world. Number 23 was the winner.

At the time, my middle school basketball-crazy brain thought nothing more than, "Yeah, that sounds about right. Jordan is really great." Little did I know that Jordan had parlayed his basketball successes to a burgeoning empire of endorsements and businesses. One of the most famous brands in the world evolved during my adolescence.

When I think about Jordan, Nike, McDonalds, or any other high-profile symbol or brand it is amazing to me the time and calculation these entities have dedicated to their identities, images, and reputations.

Pieces of the Pie

Our textbook defines identity as "the visual manifestation of the company's reality as conveyed through the organization's name, logo, motto, products, services, buildings, stationery, uniforms, and all other tangible pieces of evidence created by the organization and communicated to a variety of constituencies." I look no further than my company to see the benefits of an identity. Whether it is our big blue trucks hauling material down the interstate, high-quality material, or our newly instituted motto, "It's fast. It's easy. It's convenient. It's Marmon/Keystone." I have the utmost confidence we know what we are doing when it comes to identity.

The image we deliver is based off the identity. Our constituencies know who we are. They see the blue trucks and appreciate our quality material and friendly service. When I started a new position recently one of my objectives was to create a survey and gauge our customers' perception of the organization. The results delivered. Respondents gushed over the high level of customer service they receive and at the same time, were always happy with the quality of our material.

These factors go a long way towards shaping our reputation. Whenever a Lexus hums past me on 279, I may not be able to see inside the vehicle, but there is little doubt the cuff-link clad driver is surrounded by smooth leather and heated seats. To me, that is Lexus' reputation. My company's reputation is of good people, good material, and great service. That is why we were able to celebrate our 100th anniversary in 2007.

Staying Consistent

A brand can only work if the organization works diligently in the background. As we saw in the Muzak case, the company's identity was stagnant. They were known for one thing: elevator music. It did not help that each franchisee was selling the brand under their own accord. There was no consistency to the brand. The company saw gains when a central focus was developed. FedEx noticed a shift in their constituents' perceptions. They adapted to this changing environment (thank you chapters 1 and 2!)and it made their customers happy.

To remain consistent, an organization must adhere to a number of steps. First they must conduct an identity audit. Who are they and what do their identities project? Many of us who decided to enroll in the EMBA program conducted somewhat of an identity audit. I know I asked myself "What do I want to become?" and "How will this next step help me in the future?"

The next step is to set identity objectives. The challenge in this step is for internal constituents to acknowledge what could be a lack of recognition outside the organization. Change happens from the inside out. The text's KFC example was pertinent. To adapt to health conscious consumers, the fried chicken outfit shortened their name to an acronym that projected a less unhealthy menu. Whether or not that is the case can be disputed, but from the outside looking in, a positive change had taken place.

KFC developed a new design and a new name for their brand. With years of success to fall back on, it was most likely hard for executives to launch this type of campaign. New signage and advertisements were required. It is at that point the organization needed a multitude of different viewpoints. Is this really where they wanted to go? Some may have had a closed mind but when an organization is inspired to change/improve, the majority of witnesses will voice their opinions.

Once a new brand has been decided upon, it is of utmost importance to communicate this launch to the audience. In this case, the first audience should be the organization's employees. As stated before, change must come from the inside out. If employees do not believe in the transition, how are they to sell a customer on the change? Other constituents will see right through the smoke and mirrors of a poorly conceived re-branding effort.

Implementing the new brand is not an in and out task. It can take months or years to successfully re-brand. Along the way, the new reputation must be measured and managed to ensure the original directives and concepts are being implemented correctly.

A Lasting Image

The number of steel distribution centers in the United States is in the hundreds. Many carry like products, many more carry the exact same products. If it was not for Marmon/Keystone's consistent identity, image and reputation, I doubt 2007 would have seen us reach the $1 billion sales mark. I doubt even further that Berkshire-Hathaway would have acquired 60% of our parent company.

Here is a link to an article about the re-branding of Martha Stewart. Martha has been through some difficult times, and a new identity could suit her well.

Political opinions aside, one of our presidential candidates has recently re-branded: