Tags: branding, crisis communications, issues management, Public relations, social media, storytelling

Tomorrow, March 8th 2014, marks International Women’s Day, a great time to look at how women in Canada are doing in the PR industry.

According to Service Canada, employment in PR has risen significantly and is expected to continue to grow (good news!). When last surveyed, women held around 69 per cent of these roles, compared to 47 per cent of the workforce across all Canadian industries. Communications appeals to women.

However the current state of affairs of women on boards (across all industries, I might add) isn’t rosy. A recent study looking at 12 major North American cities shows that Canada’s four largest cities (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary) rank below all major U.S. cities other than Dallas in terms of the number of women in management roles. This could impact future growth according to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.

Furthermore 93 per cent of women in senior positions in Canada believe they make less money than a man performing the same work, according to a survey byRandstad Women Shaping Business.

How can we better support women in the workplace in Canada?

Some proactive steps are being taken, with it becoming compulsory for companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange to disclose how many women are on their boards and set targets for future quotas.

However more can be done, particularly in our industry where women account for such a high percentage of the workforce. We should be leading the way.

Here are some suggestions:

• Job share: Allowing two women to job share on a part-time basis can be empowering. Constant communication is essential if this is to work, which shouldn’t be a stumbling block for PR professionals. We’ve used this method at Peak for women returning from maternity leave, allowing us to retain great employees.
• Part-time working: When job-sharing isn’t an option then part-time can also work, depending on the role.
• Mentorship: Female mentors can be a great support for individuals juggling multiple priorities. A VP at Peak mentors women entrepreneurs in her spare time, offering guidance to help other women in the community succeed.
• Networking and support groups: Communities that focus on women in business can be helpful. Women in Leadership is one organization that offers leadership-focused events in Canada’s major cities.
• Recognition: It’s important to celebrate successful women leaders in the PR world. PRWeek in the US publishes its US Power List, which in 2012 featured 17 women. This provides role models for aspiring PR employees, and I hope to see the number of women featured rise over time.

Supporting women in the workplace is good for the employee and employer, positively affecting retention rates. Take a moment over the weekend to consider how you can help ambitious women achieve their goals and the impact they can have on your business. Let’s change these statistics.

Tags: business, International Women's Day, job share, mentorship, networking, Public relations, women, workplace

Science can be difficult to understand — at least that’s what people often think.

Though many of the world’s most groundbreaking changes come from the fields of science and technology, these stories can be the most challenging to tell. If you’re trying to generate media coverage for your science or tech company, you’re going to have to get over that hurdle.

Make sure you can answer these questions about your company’s news:

Will your product/discovery save lives or make a difference in the way people live? Is it funny or moving? Find the right hook, and you’re in.

Case in point: the recent “twerking spider” news. Papers about animal behaviour are published every day, but the savvy folks behind this one made a hilarious connection with a current trend, and got tons of coverage as a result.

The essence of your story is NOT a list of the technical details of your product/discovery. Those are merely your supporting points.

Journalists will want to talk to an expert or two who can speak with scientific authority about the significance of the product/discovery. Offer media the chance to talk to a member of your team, e.g. the COO or lead researcher, who can talk about the essence of the story and their role in it, and answer questions on the technical details, if asked.

Bonus points if your expert can give personal anecdotes around the product/discovery. Who are the makers/designers/discoverers and why are they passionate about what they do? Was the product/discovery an accident? Or the result of many years of trial and error? Where did the idea come from? Does the product/discovery have a fun social backstory? A friendship? A romance? These are the stories journalists want to tell.

Journalists will want to support their stories with hard facts and numbers that are derived from reliable sources. Be able to offer a brief summary of one to three of the most salient, including references.

A cool photo or video of your team/product/discovery in action might just cinch the deal for media. Groups of people doing things, cool microscope images, your team racing their robot, one of your successful patients playing with her kids. IBM got everyone’s attention with their recent short film, A Boy and His Atom, a visual that’s equal-parts adorable and stunning that was made using the company’s cutting-edge technologies.

If at all possible, offer visuals of something more than your expert in a lab coat beside a machine. Please.

A little later on in your pitch you’ll need to give some background on how the product was developed or how the research was done. Distill this technical information into less than five sentences. That’s plenty for most journalists. If they need more, they can talk to your expert spokesperson, take a look at your fact sheet, see your website or Google it. If you give too much detail off the bat, you risk losing the story in it.

If you don’t give journalists context, they may not understand just how important your product/discovery is. Give them background information as necessary, again referencing reliable and accessible sources. Make sure you give a short, factual overview that will be equally useful for generalist reporters and journalists that specialize in your field.

Once you’ve answered these questions for yourself, lead your pitch with the essence of your story, and support it with human stories, your expert, stats, visuals and background information. Twerking reference optional.

Tags: journalists, newsworthy, pitching, Public relations, science, technology

It’s the goal of every PR professional to get a good headline. In the case of bad news, the goal is to avoid the cringe-worthy one. The cringe-worthy headline is even worse when it’s a self-inflicted wound, based on an actual quotation.

Take this headline from the Globe and Mail last month, “Canada Post CEO defends delivery cuts, says seniors will get more exercise.” Trying to find the silver lining in a dark cloud of negative news is not a good strategy. The “positive spin” of forcing seniors out of their homes to collect mail from a community box rates an eight out of 10 on the cringe-worthy scale. Canada Post CEO Deepak Chopra lost the good headline where the rationale for the decision could have been explained. Instead he was mocked by MP’s at an emergency session of a House of Commons committee for his “mail Participaction”.

It is unlikely you or I will ever be called before a Commons committee, emergency or otherwise, to be grilled by partisan MP’s, but a news conference bears all the same characteristics, especially when you are there to deliver bad news. Reporters can be just as tough as opposition politicians.

Here are my top 10 tips for avoiding the cringe-worthy quote.

1. KISS – Keep it Short and Simple.Because your announcement is “big news,” you feel that you need to hold an hour long news conference so the media gets the full story. Wrong. You need to hold a news conference which is just long enough to give the media what they need for a story, without giving them what they want, which is the negative comment headline. News conference success is measured in messages and not minutes. You don’t have to sit there and take an endless string of questions. In fact, reporters don’t like long news conferences, so you aren’t doing them any favours. Make your opening statement, answer a few questions make a wrap up comment and get out. If you find questions are becoming repetitive, you’ve already stayed too long.

2. Have the news conference professionally moderated. A CEO is at the top for a reason. Unfortunately turning to others for help often isn’t one of them. The stronger the CEO’s personality, the more they usually think they can “handle the media” by themselves. There is a reason politicians have someone run their news conferences. It’s so they can concentrate on providing the best responses to the questions. It is too much to expect one person to answer questions, keep track of who is up next, and not let one reporter dominate the news conference while at the same time judge the mood of the room and decide when it is a good time to wrap up. A moderated news conference stays on track and on topic. Professionals hire professionals to help them.

3. Don’t try to defend the indefensible, express regret instead. When you are delivering bad news, nobody thinks it’s funny. A glib response makes headlines (see above) and shows disrespect to those adversely affected. Present the facts and the reasons you are being forced to take the actions you are taking and the consequences of doing nothing. Don’t try to find the good news spin. It’ll just make you look ridiculous at best, insensitive, elitist and uncaring at the worst and your message will get lost.

4. Make a plan and stick to it. Every news conference needs a plan. It should be laid out minute by minute from when to give media the information (always before you start) through to how long you will speak and how long you set aside for questions. You should know which media members are coming, how they are likely to view the announcement and what questions they will ask.

5. Get media training on your specific announcement with real former reporters. Simulating a rough ride from veteran reporters will pay off. There is no substitute for being prepared and having specific training for your news conference with professionals putting you through your paces. You need to train until you are comfortable with whatever might happen. You should never be surprised by what is asked or how it is asked. But if there is something way off base, being trained how to deal with that scenario will ensure you don’t make the cringe-worthy comment. Again having a moderator there, managing the news conference, is crucial.

6. Practice. Media training is not one time only. There is no substitute for actually practicing it. You should have the team put you through your paces until you are comfortable. And don’t forget a refresher just before you go out to face the media.

7. Run your key messages and Q&A by a real former reporter. It’s like getting a second opinion. You get the fresh set of eyes and a fresh perspective. Remember that reporters are outsiders, so when you bring someone in for another look, they are simulating the reporter experience and are more likely to ask what a reporter will. No matter how thorough you are, I’ll guarantee they’ll find something that could trip you up. It doesn’t mean your communications team has done a bad job. It simply a matter of perspective.

8. Give the media the facts and rationale before you start. To tell your story, the media needs to have your story. The most common mistake that ensures a bad news conference experience and bad news coverage is giving the media the information when it is over. To ask intelligent questions, to understand your point of view, they need the information before you start and in time to digest it all. Then they will concentrate on the highlights you give them during the news conference.

9. Give the media what they need not what they want. What reporters want is enough time to ask questions that will get you to say or do something stupid, which for a reporter is a golden moment. What reporters need is enough information to do a story. That means they need to get only enough time to ask questions that supplement the information you have given them. It’s a lot less time than you think, particularly if you have already given them a clear set of facts. Give them the story you want by giving them only what they need.

10. Stay on script and on message. This is often the hardest step, avoiding message drift. I put it last because everything above leads to this. Doing the other nine steps will naturally help you to stay on script and on message. If you get the urge to go rogue, don’t do it, or you can guarantee what the headline will be. And I’ll have more ammunition for a blog post.

Tags: communication, headlines, key messages, media relations, newsworthy, Public relations, storytelling

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. The wine flows, mince pies are in abundance and parties become the norm during the working week.

Yet for those PRs willing to work hard throughout silly season, there are rewards – and not just from Santa – for their efforts.

So how do you capitalize on Christmas from a publicity perspective? Here are some suggestions:

Christmas gift guides: Do you have a client looking to reach consumers with a cool new product? If so, then now is the best time of year for product PR withoutnecessarily having to pay for advertising. Naturally the competition for placement in these gift guides is fierce with many other retailers looking to capitalize on the same opportunity. However if your product is interesting and relevant and you have imagery to showcase its beautiful design, then go for it. Be warned: you’ll want to start your pitching early as some gift guides decide on content in summer.

Freebies: Who doesn’t like free things, especially in December, the season of giving? Certainly no one in my address book. Consider sending ‘stocking fillers’ or other gifts and gadgets from clients as a way of getting media attention. Always provide journalists with a story along with the gift to give them a reason to write about the treat you’ve provided.

News hijacking: Christmas becomes a major focus for many Canadians during December, and that means journalists turn their attention to this topic as well. Capitalize on this interest by pitching story angles relevant to the season. Put forward a quirky angle or offer a perspective that’s unique to your client to heighten your chances of media interest. Trends in particular can generate headlines.

Timing: I’ve noticed a ‘black hole’ appears in the PR scene between Christmas and New Year. Most PRs are on holiday so the number of stories being sent to media is minimal. This is a great opportunity if you’re willing to work. Issuing a news story – so long as it’s relevant and timely – between Christmas and New Year can go further than it typically would. If you decide to telephone pitch you may find you leave a lot of voicemails. However those journalists in the office are almost guaranteed to be having a slow news day and will therefore be more receptive to suggestions than normal.

We all know that December is for planning as well as partying, and work time is spent focusing on 2014 plans for clients. However taking time out for media relations can lead to a spike in coverage, which is always a fantastic way to finish a campaign.

And if all else fails, the New Year is just around the corner, providing a great opportunity to pitch trends and predictions, which works for almost any client from any industry.

Tags: Christmas, headlines, holidays, new year, news hijacking, Public relations, winter

I’ve got a short story for you. Two friends decide by text message to meet for coffee.

“What time works for you?” says Marla.

“How about Thursday at 10:00 a.m. at Starbucks?” says Jen.

And then the conversation stops.

Fast forward to Thursday at 10:15 and Marla is waiting, cooling latte-in-hand, for Jen to show up.

“Where are you?” Marla texts Jen (secretly blaming Jen for suggesting a time and then not showing up).

“I didn’t think we were getting together!” Jen texts back (secretly blaming Marla for dropping off the face of the earth).

It’s a textbook breakdown in communication, and in professional settings it can have disastrous consequences.

The funny thing is, the solution to this problem is the easiest and most effective communications method out there, yet many people don’t do it: Follow up.

Here are some amusing excuses people make so they can avoid following up:

• “I already told so-and-so about our meeting/task/deadline.”
• “They’re a grown-up and don’t need reminding.”
• “I’m too busy.”
• “We already have an understanding.”
• “What I have to say doesn’t matter.”
• “I have nothing to say right now.”
• “This issue isn’t a big deal.”

Actually, it is a big deal. That one little message can save a lot of time and mental energy. Marla and Jen would have saved a lot of grief if one of them had simply followed up to confirm that 10:00 on Thursday was a go.

Unfortunately, following up does have a cost. You’re going to have to take the time to say or type a short message. Tough, I know.

But the results can be rewarding – even wonderful.

How to follow up as a communicator

• A quick status update reassures colleagues, clients or journalists that you’re still working on their project, and gives them a better idea when they can expect the results
• A “Did you have a chance to look at my pitch?” can get a journalist to retrieve your story pitch from the heap
• A quick scheduling reminder helps clients and journalists remember to connect for interviews – saving everyone the time and hassle of rescheduling
• Dropping a journalist who is already covering your story a line saying, “Did you need photos or anything else for this story?” helps a news outlet produce a great piece of coverage for your client, and shows journalists that you care about their needs
• A thank-you boosts everyone’s spirits and reinforces positive relationships

How to follow up to build your team

Following up internally will boost your team’s morale and efficiency, and you don’t have to be the team lead to do it.

Motivation can drop in a team that doesn’t communicate simple things like, “Thanks for your message. I got it.” When a team loses touch over time, a subtle sense of non-caring infiltrates the project, and that can seriously dampen morale and motivation.

“But I have no news to tell my team! What’s the point of saying anything?” you might protest. You don’t have to have any news. A simple follow-up of, “I’m still with you,” will help your team members move forward with more confidence, because they know you’re still supporting them.

Obviously, giving kudos to your team members is a great follow-up too, as long as it’s sincere.

But it’s not just about making everyone feel warm and fuzzy. Following up with your project team helps you identify issues that might otherwise have been swept under the rug, only to pop up in the future as full-fledged problems.

So instead of trekking alone and scared in a barren wasteland of non-communication, take the time to regularly invest just a few words of follow-up with your friends, colleagues and clients. You’ll produce relationships that are more positive, teams that are more effective and goals that are more focused.

Some words you can say

If you’re inspired to do more following up, but don’t know where to start, here are a few phrases you can borrow:

• “Just wanted to let you know that I’m still working on ____. I’ll be done ____.”
• “How are you doing with that thing? Any way I can help?”
• “Thanks for that thing you did. I appreciate it.”
• “I’m following up to confirm that we’re meeting at that place tomorrow. Does that still work for you?”
• “I got the ____ you sent. Thanks!”
• “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll give this some thought and get back to you.”

Please feel free to follow up in the comments section below.

Photo credits:

• AlicePopkorn via photopin cc
• elinar via photopin cc

Tags: communication, correspondence, effective communication, Public relations

Last week, two PR agencies from Brazil and Jakarta also announced their partnership with IPREX.

IPREX is a global network consisting of 60 independent PR firms that operate in 100 cities with more than 1500 professionals.

“We’re happy to welcome Mason Williams to our international network,” says Ross Sullivan, Partner at Peak Communicators. ”As IPREX continues to expand, so does our ability to better serve clients on a global scale.”

Peak Communicators (Vancouver) and The Communications Group (Toronto) represent Canada in IPREX and are linked with 125 other PR-offices globally.

Mason Williams

Mason Williams, operating out of London and Manchester with a reputation for its results-oriented creative consumer brand work in toys, hair care, luxury, automotive, wine & beer and sport, with particular expertise in hotels and hospitality.

Established in 1986, Mason Williams has expanded its international work, with companies seeking to market golf resorts, property and hotels in mainland Europe to the UK.

The agency has built a strong digital practice, covering the subject from virtual reality to media evaluation, and also works in crisis preparedness and control, including specialist training to senior executives in handling their business reputations.

Clients include Two Sisters Food Group, Radisson Edwardian Hotels, Schwarzkopf, Henkel, Marriott County Hall and Accor Hotels.

Tags: agency, communications, communicators, global PR, IPREX, Public relations

As a proud partner of IPREX, a global network of 60 independent PR firms that operate in 72 cities with more than 1000 professionals, we are happy to announce the addition of Brazilian agency, Casa Da Noticia, and Jakarta-based strategic communication agency, Inke Maris & Associates.

New IPREX partnerships such as these are exciting as they further boost our capacity to engage on a global scale and offer quality PR and communications services to international clients.

Outlined below is an overview of the two new IPREX partners.

Casa Da Noticia

Founded in 1987, Casa da Notícia has additional offices in São Vicente and Mogi das Cruzes and has gained long experience of working with international companies in a range of industry sectors, particularly construction, automotive, entertainment, industry and services – in health, finance and consultancy.

The company’s clients include Saint-Gobain, Banco Fidis (Chrysler-Fiat division), Unimed, Volkswagen Foundation, Dayco and B. Braun. Many clients have been with the agency for several years, and one for over 20 years.In addition to media relations, the agency works in relationship management, events, media training, crisis communication and content and social media management.

IPREX Americas President Renzi Stone (Saxum, Oklahoma City) welcomed the company: “This is a strong, well-established agency that has built up an enviable reputation over 25 years. The team has plenty of experience of working across borders, and their deep sector knowledge will be valuable to IPREX partners and their clients.

“We’re delighted to welcome them to the expanding IPREX Americas group which now has 71 offices from Canada to Brazil, with over a thousand professional staff.”

Vanessa Xavier, Director of Client Service at Casa da Notícia, said “Our international experience has led us naturally to a global network of communication services with the reputation of IPREX. We are looking forward to using the communication skills we have developed over the years to help our new partners’ clients tap the vast potential of the Brazilian market.”

Inke Maris & Associates

Founded in 1986, Inke Maris & Associates provide strategic communication consulting services to multinationals, national companies and public institutions in Indonesia. They work in five main areas: corporate & public affairs; issues and crisis management; financial communication; marketing communication and social marketing communication.

About IPREX

IPREX is a $200 million network of communication agencies, with 1,500 staff and 100 offices worldwide working across the spectrum of industry sectors and practice disciplines.

IPREX
David Watson
executive@iprex.com
+44 1273 845462

Casa da Notícia Comunicação         
Vanessa Xavier
vanessa@casadanoticia.com.br
+55 11 2503 7611

Tags: agency, communication, global PR, IPREX, partnerships, Public relations

A picture is still worth more than 1000 words.  The furor over the cover of the Rolling Stone proves that once again.

The cover depicts accused Boston Marathon bomber Jahar Tsarnaev but unlike the 1970’s cover of Charles Manson which showed a demonic killer, this cover shows someone who could be the latest teen heartthrob.

Reaction has been swift and damaging to the Rolling Stone’s reputation, a reputation founded on the cache of being on the cover as much for the often profanity laced articles inside.

The PR mistake that Rolling Stone made was failing to understand that emotions were still raw surrounding this terrible event. The editors forgot PR 101, lesson one, people react emotionally to what they see and not what they read.

What they saw and are fixated on is the picture.  The words “bomber” and “monster” don’t come close to balancing that, even in bold, large print.

A picture is still worth more than 1000 words.  In this case it’s worth hundreds of thousands of tweets threatening never to read the magazine again, and some retailers pulling the magazine from circulation so as not to offend their customers.

Having created its own “PR Crisis” the steps that Rolling Stone have taken are good ones:

• Publishing the entire article so that people can read for themselves that the article does not glorify a “monster”.
• Giving away its cover story,  so that Rolling Stone is not seen to be benefiting from the controversy
• Acknowledging the bombing victims at the top of the article and explaining why they pursued the story

The article is legitimate. TV entertainment shows do this all the time.  Sometimes entertainment news just becomes news.

In 1970 Rolling Stone published a Charles Manson cover story, but the picture demonized Manson. This one didn’t.  It showed the boy next door or the newest rock star.  The public wanted to see the devil and they saw themselves.

It has been 40 years since Dr. Hook released “The Cover of the Rolling Stone” a song which immortalized what it meant to get on the cover. The public hasn’t forgotten what that means.

If Rolling Stone had a do-over they would pick a different cover.

Will it do permanent damage?

Only time will tell.

Tags: Boston Marathon, communications, controversy, crisis, PR Crisis, Public relations, Rolling Stone, social media

The Peak Communicators team is celebrating this morning: it’s the first time we’ve entered a PR award, and we’ve won!

It’s for Ragan’s PR Daily Awards, which recognizes the best PR campaigns from across the globe.

We’ve been given the ‘Best Crisis Management Award’ for our work supporting a veterinary hospital in Vancouver.

The good news story focused on a dog named Rumble who had been shot during a home break in. The owner had spent $3,500 on treatment but an expensive operation was necessary. The Vancouver based veterinary hospital agreed to donate its services, and Peak capitalized on this from a media relations perspective. Peak worked to distance its client from a former employee who had been charged with a criminal act involving an animal; it also found a good-news story to promote just after the crisis had passed.

This generated widespread positive publicity:

• • Led to more than $25,000 worth of public donations following the media coverage. This money was used to create a fund for other animals in need of care that would otherwise be euthanized
  • Created the highest website traffic to the veterinary hospital in 2012 during the week of Rumble’s surgery
  • Led to one concerned citizen knitting a dog sweater and then driving hundreds of kilometers to deliver it to Rumble at the veterinary hospital

We also received an ‘Honourable Mention’ for the ‘Best Fitness/Health Campaign’ for our work with Canadian Diabetes Association.

This is a great start to Peak’s second decade in business!

Tags: agency, awards, crisis management, Public relations, Ragan, recognition