Good public
relations is all about communication - whether
in public or behind the scenes - to get your
message across to your audiences successfully.
Your audiences might be politicians, journalists,
customers, agents, suppliers, commentators, shareholders,
employees and potential users of your product
or service.
There are multiple facets to any organisation,
all of which need to be conveyed thoughtfully
and carefully to the target audiences, such as
its corporate identity, its products, its philosophy,
its customers, its performance record and its
reputation.
Communication in its most productive
form is two-way. Organisations that invest in
systems and structures that encourage contact
and dialogue between them and their audiences
can expect to prosper from the relationship.
That's
where Comms comes in. Good Comms people should
have the experience and the contacts to help
organisations carry their message direct to those
they want to influence - in a format that is
designed to achieve maximum penetration.
It's
all about paying someone to get your message
across because you believe they can reach the
audiences better than you can.
So, what is comms?
Everyone has their own answer to this
question, and few people outside the industry
have any real clue of what goes on in the name
of comms.
The public and media love beating up
on the Spin Doctors, those highly paid people
who contrive to manipulate the news by putting
their 'spin' on events.
On the other hand, some
young people plan a career in comms because they
want to mix with sports stars and pop groups,
to attend record launches and parties to introduce
a new perfume, to meet famous people - the glamorous
side of comms life. At Newsaplenty, we know it
is not always glamorous. Much of comms is procedural
and everyday.
At one end, there is political lobbying,
seeking legislative change (or status quo) to benefit
a client. At the other end, it's getting a couple
of scantily clad 'promotions' girls to drape themselves
over a product, and/or invited guests.
Then there is a large chunk in between - corporate
comms, financial comms, investor relations, media
relations, consumer comms, fundraising comms, events
management, sponsorship management, crisis management,
media training, employee relations.
The skill is
in being able to recognise the problem, to determine
the possibilities and to formulate the best plan
of action. It's not just a matter of how we choose
to deliver our client's message: whether via satellite,
CD, video, glossy brochure, newsletter, press release,
press conference, one-on-one briefings, direct
mail, or personal letter.
In most cases, it's practical common sense. There
are no rules to follow; therefore there can be
no guarantees. You can't do comms by numbers -
each scenario is different.
A campaign strategy might work famously one time,
and disappear without trace the next. Throughout
it all, the comms company must be able to demonstrate
that it did all the things and took all the steps
that a prudent, experienced comms company should
do to maximise the impact of the client's message.
It may not be possible to prove that the comms
campaign rented more cars, sold more cornflakes,
raised cancer awareness. However, the comms company
should gather proof in the form of TV video, audio
tapes, press clippings and so on to prove that
it did everything to maximise success. |
