InsidEPR

Leveraging PR to Stay Competitive in a Down Market

By Jeannette Bitz

Watching the Dow Jones decline makes me think about how companies manage their marketing and PR spending. Whether you call this a recession or a market re-adjustment, all the doom and gloom about the economy can make any executive who has to watch the bottom line anxious. In my first year as an Engage PR partner (yes, it’s my official anniversary this month), I’m certainly conscious of the money we bring in and the money we spend. I’m always looking at any means possible to spend less, without making an impact on the quality of our employees and the work we do for our clients.

A down economy can actually be a good opportunity to invest time and money in PR – not cut it. Here’s why:

• Chances are your competitors hunker down and spend less during down times. But reporters still need good stories and content. Now is the time when smaller or mid-sized companies that usually have to work hard to vie for news coverage have a chance to drive or influence trends.
• Your customers need to know who you are and that you are maintaining a viable business even during bad economic times.
• Companies that invest in their brands during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve market share and ROI at a lower cost than during good economic times. 

What should companies do?

• Avoid treating PR as an event. PR is a process. Focusing PR efforts on news events like product announcements usually yields few results, except for new companies debuting truly unique products. Companies are generally better off spending their resources on establishing thought leadership and driving trends in the blogosphere and technology media. (Link to Zeugma blog and news site).
• Take advantage of the Internet and new media and social media tools to start a dialog with the media and create thought leadership in your company’s market or technology.
• Don’t reduce or eliminate PR spending until an economic turnaround.  Companies that do so will lose out to those that take advantage of the down economy.
• If your company is still in development, and especially if you have a category-breaking solution, stay in stealth mode until your product is at least in beta and you have a customer willing to talk to the press. Come to market too soon, without any proof points to show how you’ll succeed, and you may not appear credible.

These tips will help you take advantage of a down market and better a position your company for success once the economy turns around.

Note: Congratulations and thank you to the entire Engage PR team; you’re the reason we were named one of the top technology communicators among small agencies. This honor is a testament to how hard you work to be effective resources for reporters and to your relationships with the media.

I have a confession to make

By Allison Kuhn

I have to get it off my chest – I am addicted to the Beijing Olympic Games. Ever since the lucky numbers (08/08/08) rolled around, I have been hooked on the games, watching NBC constantly. Now this addiction is one that some 20-million-plus American viewers share with me. In fact, this Olympic Games is projected to beat all previous Olympics in pure numbers of home viewers.

According to The Wall Street Journal, “NBC attracted an average of 24.1 million viewers for Saturday night's [8/9] prime-time broadcast, the most for the first night of competition since the Atlanta Games in 1996....”  So why are people tuning into these games?

I can only speculate why I am so hooked and have several reasons that come top of mind. 1) The summer games will not come around for another four years, and I don’t want to miss them. 2) I enjoy watching competitive sports. 3) Will Michael Phelps win another gold medal?

But the real answer is likely the fact that I can watch the games at any time - that they are always available. Like the 2006 Winter Games, these games are available via streaming live video in addition to regular television coverage. NBC is projected to provide about 3,600 hours of coverage across its broadcast and cable networks and its Web site. Of that coverage, 75 percent will be live feeds. 

I mean come on…how could I miss these games? You really need to check them out.

For more on the Olympic viewership, view the 8/11 WSJ article. (Online membership is required).

Facebook: personal or professional?

By Jill Primost

The amazing thing about writing a blog post on Facebook is that the chances are high that what you say about it one day could change if you wait, let’s say, two more weeks. The one constant but evolving discussion at the end of the day, however, is Facebook – personal or professional?

The college kid in me says “absolutely not” to professional. Think about the photo albums, the “activities,” and the groups that being in college breeds, and about whether or not these are things you would want anyone in your professional life to observe. If you went down the road of joining “Bong Rips Unite” - likely not.

The privacy controls solve a lot of those sticky issues since they allow the user to cut off access to certain items for certain people. While I admit this makes me more comfortable with the fact that the professional world can peek at my Facebook, it does still nag at me that I can’t keep what once was totally open, still open, without fear of any repercussion.

But what about the generation that is growing up on Facebook post-college?
This poses an interesting question to Facebook’s network, and given that this demographic exists, it now allows for what I would deem two different Facebook worlds. Both my parents’ generation and my college peers have limitless space to use Facebook for whatever purpose they choose.

For all of you recent college grads out there, like myself, who have companies or bosses that want to take advantage Facebook – to connect with clients, market their agency, or what have you – I’ll tell you that I now believe it’s possible to do so. There’s room for both generations. At this point in your career, you’ve likely outgrown the pictures of your friends passed out on fraternity steps, anyway.

Professional doesn’t mean “boring,” and it doesn’t mean anti-social. Use Facebook as a social network for your friends, and keep the content of your weekends to the few that you spend those days with anyway. As far as networking tools go, I still believe an option like LinkedIn is a much better professional and networking tool, and for my generation, it could very well be. But if Facebook works as a networking tool for the 40-plus crowd – then we surely shouldn’t stop them.

And let’s be honest, at 25 it’s probably time you revoke your membership in Bong Rips Unite, anyway.

From the Trade-Show Trenches

By Neila Matheny

June is my favorite month.  This year, I headed back to the telecom trade show I have grown to love, NXTcomm.  Although the month leading up to the show can be crazy with scheduling meetings; booking travel; and writing, editing, and re-editing press releases, it all seems worth it in the end. Trade shows have a life of their own, and everyone has funny stories to share from NXTcomms, Globalcomms, and Supercomms gone by.

This year’s show offered a couple of things to ponder:

1. Las Vegas.  Now, I grew up in Southern California and have a true affinity for Sin City.  However, I learned a tough lesson during my first working trip to Vegas.  There is a reason that people only go for the weekend.  I spent five nights there and saw four a.m. too many times. So, as most people do, I turned to coffee to get me through the trek to the convention center.  But when you are standing outside in 100-degree weather to get a cab, it does not help have a scorching hot cup of coffee in your hand. Advice: get iced coffee or get more sleep!
2. Booth babes and their giveaways.  In the walk to my client’s booth, I passed many show-booth babes with their squishy cows, backpacks, water bottles, and canvas bags to give away.  In theory, I really don’t mind the booth babes.  But when I was constantly asked where our giveaways were and why I wasn’t in a floor-length sequined gown, it got a little old.  Not every company needs the schwag or the girls to keep the booth busy.  I think we did just fine without all of that.
3. Food options.  As a resident of San Francisco, I find it’s easy to become a foodie.  I personally love The Food Network and getting to try the multitudes of new eateries in the city by the bay.  So when faced with a sad little food court with grumpy help, tasteless sandwiches, and an oddly compiled salad bar, I was missing home.  Las Vegas is quickly becoming a food mecca.  Is it too hard to ask for good food to spread to the convention center?

Bottom line, I missed Chicago and am looking forward to 2009 when the show heads back there.