The 30-second ad - for years one of the major arrows in
marketing's quiver - has begun its final descent. "Appointment"
television -- in which the entire family gathers around the set for
its favorite show -- is going by the boards. A bevy of mass-market
publications, such as National Geographic and Reader's Digest,
continue to cut circulation.
Traditional marketing is breaking up before our eyes, presenting
fresh challenges for PR execs who can spot new venues to get the
word out.
After all, one of the things PR does best is to provide the
third-party voices that put a brand, product, service, person or
idea in a positive light --a crucial discipline when the public's
trust in corporate America continues to erode.
But is the PR field ready for the great unknown? To find out, we
asked senior PR execs at both the corporate and agency levels to
share their insights on how PR can take full advantage of all the
significant and ongoing changes in the marketing-communications
landscape.
Rick Murray
EVP/General Manager, Diversified Services, Edelman
312.240.2822
[email protected]
Think about this: For all our collective pitching, some of the
most heralded 'earned media' stories of the past year don't belong
to PR firms; they belong to an actor turned filmmaker - Mel Gibson;
a filmmaker turned political pundit - Michael Moore; some poor soul
in an eight-foot-tall chicken suit - subservientchicken.com;
a few bloggers whose unyielding quest for the truth ended up
costing Dan Rather and Eason Jones their jobs; and Deutsch -
an ad agency that convinced Pontiac that it could move the needle
by giving away $7 million in cars on 'Oprah.'
What do all of these breakthroughs have in common?
- First, they reinforce the public relations value of a great
idea. Creativity reigns supreme; always has and always will. Ideas
that aren't differentiating, relevant and compelling to the media
will never generate anything more than average results. - Second, these programs weren't designed to generate coverage;
they were designed to generate business. All too often, we define
the end goal as media, and we let that shape our thinking. That, in
turn, shapes how clients think of us. We need to think business
results ahead of media results. - Third, with the exception of Pontiac's 'Oprah' program, all of
these campaigns took on lives of their own, both online and
offline, before they got any national ink or airtime. Even then,
the story generally was not about the idea itself, but about the
momentum that was building behind the idea as a result of one
person talking to another person who then talked to another person
and so on. 'The Passion' has earned almost $500 million since its
release, and it all started with a free screening to a handful of
influential members of an influential church.
All of these ideas took courage and conviction to sell - and to
buy. Big ideas are risky, and there aren't a whole lot of people
out there who are willing to bet the ranch on something that might
or might not work. Let's face it - we don't want to put our fees at
risk, and clients don't want to put their brands at risk. But then
we all wonder why the needle didn't move and what might have
been.
Ed Nicholson
Director/Community and Public Relations,
Tyson Foods Inc.
479.290.4591
[email protected]
At Tyson, we target seven key market segments, identified much
more by lifestyle than by these traditional demographic qualifiers:
age, gender, ethnicity and income. What, how, when and where do our
consumers eat? How do their lifestyles affect their purchases,
consumption, and brand loyalty?
As we drill more deeply into consumer behavior, we learn more
effective ways to communicate with our target audiences. Some will
continue to trust and respond to messages delivered by traditional
paid media; that's why our brands will continue utilizing paid
media as part of our marketing mix. But we also recognize target
audiences that can be reached more appropriately and effectively
with other communications vehicles: public relations, promotions,
sponsorships and buzz marketing.
One of the ways Tyson reaches these audiences with public
relations is by looking for unique entrees to those audiences,
often going in the "back door" of events typically cluttered by
big-budget advertisers. For example, the 'Powered by Tyson'
campaign, launched last fall, carries the primary message that our
products deliver energy from protein. An association with the
Olympics, occurring at the time of the launch, seemed a natural
vehicle to convey this message, but it was difficult to predict an
effective return on investment for direct sponsorships and media
buys in the cluttered, expensive environment surrounding the event
itself. Rather than join the pack of high-profile advertisers, we
chose to invest public-relations and promotions resources behind a
post-Olympic tour of the medal-winning men's and women's U.S.
gymnastics teams.
NASCAR is another activity evocative of the "power" in
our marketing message. Rather than approach its large, loyal
audience through an expensive NASCAR sponsorship, we partnered with
the Pit Crew Chiefs Club, doing promotions and public relations
around the people who "power" the cars.
The same themes are being carried into the Hispanic market by
involvement in salsa-dancing contests in key markets and into the
African-American segment through sponsorship of a series of HBCU
Classic football games.
Maggie O'Neill
Director, Peppercom Inc.
415.438.9823
[email protected].
Corporate marketers are finding themselves at a defining moment
in time, facing enormous challenges and opportunities for reaching
an increasingly fragmented consumer market. No longer is consumer
awareness and behavior driven by the coveted 30-second advertising
spot. Instead, many marketing professionals are looking beyond
traditional strategies to integrate new and more customized
approaches, such as event and viral marketing, digital-device
communications, on-site promotions and product
placement/sponsorships. Unlike the traditional advertising medium,
the flexibility of non-traditional marketing concepts enables
companies to create tailored campaigns - outside of ad buy
constraints - that can persuade niche customer groups to buy,
endorse and believe in their product or service.
As a result, communications professionals must be aware of new
and evolving media at their disposal. Today, consumer touch points
are endless and, if leveraged strategically, they can provide
companies the opportunity to reach and influence constituents in
the areas where they live, work and play.
For example, television manufacturers typically have targeted
affluent men through a variety of sports-driven campaigns. However,
the 'big-screen' experience now is being sought out by other
customer groups, including women looking to add design elements to
their new homes, artists displaying digital-media creations and
event professionals looking for the sharpest display technology
available.
Each audience has its own needs, concerns and price points,
providing both a challenge and opportunity for manufacturers
looking to tap diverse audiences to increase sales. Consequently, a
well-integrated communications campaign needs to go well-beyond the
norm. Campaigns must place the product in front of the consumer to
educate, experience and entice by using such non-traditional
activities as interactive point-of-purchase displays and
viral/experiential marketing techniques like blogs and text
messaging.
These 'direct-to-consumer' marketing techniques enable companies
to communicate a brand or product message faster, cheaper and more
effectively then most traditional means.