If you put a journalist, a PR manager and a tax collector together, and judge them based on reputation, who would come out the winner?
Sadly, the tax collector might have the edge, based on the Euro RSCG Magnet Survey of Media conducted with Columbia University, originally released in June 2005
(see PR News, June 29) and re-released last week to kick-start the study's nationwide dog-and-pony show this fall. The tour is designed to educate senior PR execs and
journalists on corporate reputation, transparency and media relations.
"There is still a credibility gap," says Mike Smith, executive VP of Washington, D.C.-based Euro RSCG Magnet. "Credibility needs to emanate from all levels of the
corporation. Everyone must be on the same page."
The study's statistics warn of the ever-dismal confidence the media have in corporate communicators, and it emphasizes that customer-focused business practices are one way to
bolster their reputations.
Smith also stresses the importance of maintaining credibility through a company's public persona by "telling the truth and telling it first." This holds true for every
employee, from the CEO on down to the spokesmen. Then, it's a matter of PR pros rebuilding the bridge between themselves and the media to quell a snowballing challenge, as it is
often impossible to get the attention of journalists who are too busy looking elsewhere for quotes and stories.
"[The media] are increasingly looking to independent sources to enforce their views, so third-party sources are more important than ever," Smith says. "Have industry experts
available to speak on your behalf."
It also is essential to remember that timeliness is crucial because of the 24/7 news maw, made all the more hungry by the rapid ascension of blogs that, if they haven't
already, need to be incorporated into the daily media mix.
Perhaps most important, the lessons of the survey should reiterate the need for senior PR managers to push their profession continuously by tapping all available media
marketplaces. "There are many layers of influence," Smith says. "Traditional media should not be the only arrows in the quiver. The biggest job of the [PR pro] is to influence the
influencer."
Contact: Mike Smith, 202.448.5305, [email protected]