Like every industry, public relations is troubled by its share of misconceptions, from the demoralizing ("PR pros spend all their time at glitzy lunches") to the downright
damaging ("Measurement is too expensive"). These myths tend to minimize the credibility of PR, and worse yet, eat away at campaign effectiveness.
We turned to the experts to separate fact from fiction. Fortuitously, these are the same people who comprise our outstanding new Board of Advisors, a stellar group of
individuals with impressive breadth of experience and expertise. We asked them to identify and debunk some of the most persistent - and destructive - falsehoods in the PR
industry. Following is their list of the top PR myths - and the realities behind them.
Media Relations
Myth: You can negotiate better coverage if you selectively leak the
story to one media outlet.
"This is a high risk strategy that will alienate the other media covering the story and will ultimately cause long-term credibility problems." - David Moorcroft, SVP, corporate
communications, Royal Bank
Myth: The only expert quoted should be the top executive.
"People are interested in the story-behind-the-story. R&D or other employees can also provide very useful material to build a story - and the brand." - Lisa Kovitz,
managing director, Burson Marsteller
Myth: Blockbuster events guarantee coverage.
"Coverage is never a guarantee. We once had 10 television cameras leave our event to cover a breaking news event. Our story didn't make it on the air that night." - Ginger
Hardage, VP, corporate communications, Southwest Airlines
Technology PR
Myth: Industry analysts won't speak to the press about my company
unless we have a contract with them.
"Some of the best public comments we've received are from firms I have never hired. Remember, those analysts are always looking for new customers, as well as scouring the world
for best practices in areas where their current customer base might be falling behind." - Reid Walker, director, global marketing communications, GE Global eXchange Services
(GXS)
Myth: Using jargon in press releases is common practice; reporters
and customers I need to reach speak the same language.
"While the IT crowd may have a good handle on what your product/service does, their bosses (who write the checks) often don't. They need to understand the fundamental benefits
and ROI your product offers." - Reid Walker, GXS
Crisis Management
Myth: Always release bad news to the media late on a Friday to minimize
coverage.
"In a 24/7 news-gathering environment, there is no weak spot in the cycle. In fact, attempts to slip news by the media can damage credibility and result in worse coverage." -
David Moorcroft, Royal Bank
Myth: A proactive media strategy is always the best course
of action in managing a crisis.
"Sometimes a better course is to develop a strategy for direct communications with the affected stakeholders. Too often, more value and energy is spent on managing headlines
than on communicating directly with those most affected." - Barie Carmichael, VP, CCO, Dow Corning
Myth: My company isn't public. We don't need to worry about chat
rooms or list servs.
"The individuals in chat rooms and list servs are often the people who care about your company most - the ones who use your products, your employees and even your vendors and
suppliers. Some companies take chat rooms and discussion groups too seriously and wind up committing management to a task that isn't worth valuable time. Think about outsourcing
monitoring of the most important venues." - Reid Walker, GXS
Measurement
Myth: You can't separate PR impacts from other things going on in
the marketplace.
"In the past 10 years, the field of "integrated marketing" has spawned modeling techniques that in many cases do permit us to isolate PR impacts." - Bruce Jeffries-Fox, Insight
Farm
Myth: Measurement is too expensive.
"If you think measurement is expensive, try ignorance. Doesn't it make sense, if you're spending money, to spend 10 percent to find out if the other 90 percent is working?" -
Katie Paine, president, Delahaye Medialink
Myth: Measurement will make me look bad.
"Being accountable and demonstrating what doesn't work has helped many PR people get bigger budgets, better salaries and continuous increases in responsibility. Management
wants smart, well-informed people who make decisions based on fact." - Katie Paine, Delahaye Medialink
PR NEWS Advisory Board, 2001-2003
- Jack Bergen, president, Council of PR Firms; [email protected]
- Roberta Carlton, director, corporate public relations, PTC [email protected]
- Barie Carmichael, VP, CCO, Dow Corning; barie. [email protected]
- Alisa Fogelman-Beyer, senior managing director/practice leader, Hill and Knowlton; [email protected]
- Bruce Jeffries-Fox, EVP, Insightfarm.com; [email protected]
- Margery Kraus, CEO, APCO; [email protected]
- Ginger Hardage, VP, corporate communications, Southwest Airlines; [email protected]
- Lisa Kovitz, managing director, Burson Marsteller; [email protected]
- David Moorcroft, SVP, corporate communications, Royal Bank; [email protected]
- Katie Paine, president, Delahaye Medialink; [email protected]
- Brenda Siler, director, public relations, American Speech-Language-Hearing Assoc.; [email protected]
- Lou Thompson, president/ CEO, National Investor Relations Institute; [email protected]
- Reid Walker, director, global marketing communications, GE Global eXchange
Services (GXS); [email protected]