Reputation is one of the most valuable assets for any business, and it can shift rapidly in today’s fast-paced communication landscape. Negative publicity, whether justified or exaggerated, spreads quickly across news outlets, online reviews, and social media platforms.
Everybody loves the limelight. Well, almost everyone.
Done well, publicity can help you to gain significant brand awareness, trigger customer interest, and build your corporate reputation. Media coverage on a respected national or trade publication can also help you to achieve legitimacy for your brand.
(image courtesy of Muslim cartoonist Khalil Bendib)
Like fire, media publicity is a good servant but a bad master.
Managed well, it focuses the glaring spotlight on neglected issues which warrant a global audience. However, extensive media and social media coverage may also lead to unwarranted consequences.
Let us examine a recent tragic news event to see how this unfolds. One that is close to everybody’s hearts.
Photo opportunities are good ways to grab media attention (from SHINE Youth Festival)
How can trade associations, societies and NGOs leverage on Public Relations (PR) to get the word out there? What strategies can they apply to “build buzz”?
As Vice Chairman of the Association of Singapore Attractions (ASA), one of my jobs is to increase the visibility of the association and establish it as an industry leader. Thanks to an invitation from MCI Singapore, I learned a few new tricks relevant to my association while refreshing my knowledge of the discipline.
Images courtesy of Celebritize Yourself
Are you keen to be better known and respected in your field of expertise?
Have you wondered how seemingly ordinary folks – policeman, plumbers, teachers and housewives – have risen to become well known household names?
Crises can be opportunities if handled well, as these Chinese characters show (courtesy of tingilinde)
One of the most important skills PR practitioners need to know is crisis communication. That is when things go wrong but need to be made public. Public listed companies would probably be most familiar with this when sharing their quarterly earnings reports.
Hiding the truth is probably one of the worst things to do in such a situation. The widespread availability of information and records through both the internet and public libraries makes it difficult for one to fudge. Sooner or later the truth will come out, and it would be far better coming from you rather than a third party source.
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Here’s a counter post following my first one on how PR agencies should manage their clients. Hats off to Priscilla Tan who used to work in an agency but will now be joining a global MNC (drool).
Getting the most out of your PR agency doesn’t mean squeezing the life out of them. Conversely, it also doesn’t mean that you just let loose completely and pray everyday that page one news would come on its own. Sorry buddy it doesn’t work that way.
So what can you as a client do to optimise the Client-PR relationship?
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I got tipped off to write about this following Priscilla Tan’s expose on what goes on behind the doors of PR agencies and their clients. Many of the situations which she described – expecting page one news, wanting to be called “the next big thing”, and agency bosses “kow towing” to clients – are not unique indeed.