After the non-news of the last few nasty election months it's time to get back to reality.
Oh right. We don't have that luxury.
Reality is just on TV and sometimes on novelty Web sites where someone is seen acting silly. Yet there's another reality --the hard look PR pros must take at their pitch
when it's a story that nobody wants.
So how do you take a Plain Jane hook for a milquetoast product and turn it into something that's going to get consumers stoked? Alas, it's high time for all of us to
remember--and regain--that one undoubted truism in modern PR: If it seems like it's not getting pickup you have to make it less about the facts and more of what people sorely
want.
Call it escapist news.
Making news big is not groundbreaking. But today's news is all in the wrapping, much more so than ever before. And it's a hard lesson to learn.
When speaking to big groups about artful PR I always suggest taking a Hollywood approach to buzz. People respond with mass grimaces, feeling that large-scale pop angles are
an L.A. thing. Hardly.
This all-out push toward TV and movies and, well, trivia, is something every story should strive for no matter how dull on paper. This is not merely done by Paramount
and Pixar; it's the wily world of aggressive PR on a corporate-attack scale.
One look at the October 29th wholly-unspecific "Life" section of USA Today and you can view a host of very strange angles to what the daily calls "the news
of the day." What's inside?
- A skull discovered by paleontologists from 18,000 years ago. That should be big enough but USA Today says it's of interest to fans of "The Lord Of The Rings, too"
Talk about a hook. - From Popular Science, a story about a guy who works as a parasitologist - a worm doctor featured in a story titled "Worst Jobs Ever."
- Next page. A historic look at stars carrying a song on screen in honor of this year's over-hyped "Ray." "Flirting With Tunes" centers on actors lip-synching on film, which has
going on since Al Jolson did it in black face in the 1920s plus a feature title.
Witness how it all seems like it's above the fray with some extreme form of escapism. But with a closer reading these stories demonstrate how prevalent out-of-whack trivial
hooks have become.
Say you have a client who owns a chain of travel agents based in a non-small to medium-size markets. Using the above thesis the hook is that this chain notes an increase in
senior customers. You, the PR mucky-muck, gate crashes the news by putting out a survey showing how citizens over 55 travel more than ever.
Your agencies become the easiest source for journalists to find if anyone is planning to write about travel and the ever-aging Boomers. Soon, USA Today and travel
guides want the client to comment on stories the paper runs about senior travel - the new trends. This filled an unmet need, got the agency name out, and, honestly, created a
trend out of thick air.
Make the transition to Hollywood expert by seeking older characters in sitcoms or flicks who are rarely at home (call them "OTR seniors"). Set the client forth by giving
advice to older folks via dailies and wire services and there's a new brand of oldster.
It's not news but it is sure news-y since it has a couture film and TV angle, and we all know that entertainment is all anyone derives their knowledge and wonderment from
(see: "Daily Show").
Today's drama is news-like. Today's news is pure drama. Not only is nothing out of bounds now, what could be beyond the scope of news after Barbara Walters did an hour on
phone sex? Only our imagination is in bounds. News, friends, has a brand new bag: Worms, sexy housewives, elastic voices, skull discoveries, it's all inside. You light that way-
off bonfire quickly before someone else...er... makes it up.
Contact: Richard Laermer, president of New York-based RLM Public Relations, co-hosts "Taking Care of Business," a reality/business show featured on TLC [The Learning Channel].
It airs on Wednesday at 9:00 PM ET.