In Media, Everything Old Is New, Again

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A classic movie poster created in 1942. The Atkins Diet. John Travolta. A story in the media about a company fighting the effects of recession.

What do these seemingly unrelated items have in common? At one time, they all enjoyed the focus of America's attention. Then they dropped out of sight. Then they came back
into vogue again. And soon they'll fade into oblivion once more.

But did eating hamburgers suddenly become good for you again? Is Travolta's resurgence due to a decade-long study of method acting that allowed him to emerge as Tinseltown's
most talented star? Are you more likely to see a "Casablanca" poster in a young person's home these days because they changed the ending to appeal more strongly to today's
generation by having Bergman decide to stay and take a few months off to work in a Moroccan coffeehouse while Bogie goes and picks out an EKTORP loveseat from Ikea?

Obviously the answers are "no," "no," and "no." But there's a simple reason why all of these things have resurfaced again and again: There are no new stories - just new
people to read them.

The news cycle is underpinned by the cyclical nature of the economy, which is underpinned, of course, by the cyclical nature of life. Those who pitch media, work with analysts,
even communicate with employees and other groups, have all seen story angles, business models and philosophies emerge, retreat and resurface.

Senior professionals' ability to see the patterns distinguishes them from the rookies. That's not to say that senior PR professionals have through their experience osmotically
cornered the market on the practice of their craft. Just because they know what the monster looks like doesn't mean they'll hear the footsteps coming. They need sentries on the
front lines.

This is where junior PR professionals come in - helping to spot trends. While they might not yet be able to differentiate Barney from a People Eater, if they're doing their
jobs right, they can tell you that there's a monster approaching, and he's big and purple and coming your way fast. If they're on the phones pitching, if they're reading the news
intelligently, they'll probably hear him the moment he releases his first roar.

But that alone isn't enough. By then it's too late. Once the word is out, the buzzing swarm of fellow flacks surrounding a trend makes it increasingly difficult to exploit.
The trick is sensing the trend before it materializes. To do this, it is absolutely critical for junior and senior public relations professionals within an organization to
maintain a consistent two-way dialogue. Junior pros can't be content waiting until the monster is close enough to see the whites in his eyes - they need to raise a flag upon
detecting the slightest rumble in the distance. Likewise, senior pros mustn't fool themselves into believing they see it all and need to consistently prod their employees to keep
their fingers on the media's pulse.

In the end, you really can't beat a reporter when it comes to setting their editorial plans. The most silver-tongued PR pro in New York could not have sold a story about
supplemental flood insurance to a television assignment editor amid the recent wall-to-wall war coverage.

At the same time, it's not impossible to affect editorial calendars and planning books, to nudge them in your direction. That same insurance company, during the same period,
might have been able to pitch and place themselves in a more general story on how soldiers' families protect themselves economically in times of war.

In addition to stressing the importance of staying abreast of the general news, you should make it a team requisite on every outreach initiative to determine the subjects that
each media target is currently pursuing and what's next on his or her list. This intelligence gathering informs future pitches, which both increases their likelihood of success
and helps establish ongoing relationships with journalists.

Your best senior professionals understand the rhythm of the news cycle. They know from past experience exactly when editorial calendars are formulated by journalists and will
instruct their team to pitch new ideas hardest during this period.

They know the importance of secular events on the calendar and have already implemented programs to capitalize upon almost every religious, national and Hallmark-style holiday,
a wide variety of 'awareness' months and even the timing of Sweeps weeks.

They know what people are doing seasonally -- spring cleaning, taxes, summer vacations, buying school supplies, holiday shopping. They know when editors start their annual gift
guides, when Fashion Week falls in each city and all about various areas' festivals and annual celebrations. And the most sage senior advisors understand general economic
business cycles and the opportunities presented by fluctuations in employment, consumer spending and corporate earnings.

So, now, as the conflict overseas enters a new phase, how will your team approach media outreach? What are journalists working on right now? Will there be a return to
traditional coverage or will military angles remain attractive to journalists? Will the economy rebound or continue to languish? How might that change the priorities of your
audiences?

You'll never know all the answers to media success. But if you can find ways to engage your entire team, you'll see all the clues. And sooner or later, your juniors will
start recognizing more patterns on their own. Imagine. You'll be able to turn to your team at the first of the year, tip your hat to the side and simply say, "Play it again,
Sam." And they'll know exactly you're talking about.

Online Tools For Spotting Media Trends...

...And For Spotting Business Patterns

Ian Lipner ([email protected]) is an account manager for Washington, DC-based Stanton Communications. His Front Lines column
will run exclusively in PR NEWS on a regular basis. He is the founder of YoungPRPros.com.

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