19960909
SAVVY AGENCIES EXPAND SERVICES ONTO THE WEB
September 9, 1996
PR agencies are beginning to look to the Web to expand their service offerings to the marketplace.
"PR Wizards" Service
One example of this is the new PR Wizards service from the Bromley Group Inc., New York. The service provides answers to any PR-related question for $50 a question, by e-mailing it to a Bromley Web site, http://www.bromley-group.com. Whether it be improving press relations or enhancing your company's image, the company says it can find answers within 24 hours and e-mail the information back to you.
The "wizards" are PR veterans Karen and Alan Bromley, president and CEO, respectively. E-mail is checked frequently throughout the day, and questions are then forwarded to the appropriate person, they say.
Account Executive Nataly Gross says that since Wizards' introduction in late July, "the response has been positive...We're the only firm that provides this kind of service." Payments for questions can be made over the Internet or via fax. Gross says that security problems have not yet been a problem.
Alan Bromley says that, "we're just trying to build relationships and reach entrepreneurial businesses."
BG sees this service as an extension of its Internet capabilities, and knows the service could have a high demand, but it's too early to tell. Coming sometime in the next several months will be the "Nutrition Wizards," which are really BG's health and fitness masterminds in disguise. (Bromley Group, 212/807-8078)
Web Press Release Service
Another example of a Web-based service launched by a PR firm is the "Online Press Release Factory." Companies now can arrange to have press releases written by contacting the service created by Detroit-area PR firm Adrian & Peterson Inc. (API).
By accessing the site at http://bizserve.com/api/factory/htm., the user chooses from 14 release topics, including crisis management, reorganization and annual reports. The user fills out a questionnaire about the release information and sends it back to API by clicking the "submit" button.
To verify the transmission, specify any other requests and give a credit card number for payment, the user clls a toll-free 800 number. The cost per news release is $100 for the first 400 words and $25 for each additional 100 words. Within two hours, the completed release will be e-mailed back to the user.
API principal Ron Peterson says that "it saves us time, saves our clients time, and demonstrates our use of technology." He explains that developing press releases from templates that incorporate the information the user provides is not cheapening PR, but rather, is easier than "reinventing the wheel over and over again."
Additional services API offers include distributing the release to targeted media, making follow-up calls, compiling a media contact list and tracking media pickup. (Adrian & Peterson, 800/655-6592)