Posts Tagged‘PR campaign’

January 11, 2016

Room for Everyone?

If ever there was a huge messaging gap between a press release and the articles it generated, it was Marriott International’s announcement of its merger with Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

The PR Newswire copy started by broadcasting the company’s obvious corporate home run:

“Combined Company Will Have 1.1 Million Rooms in More Than 5,500 Hotels, Spanning the Globe in Over 100 Countries”

“Transaction Offers Substantial Economies of Scale”

“Combined Company Should Deliver Significant Capital Returns to Shareholders”

Marriott International to Acquire Starwood Hotels and Resorts; Will Become World’s Largest Hotel Company (PRNewsFoto/Marriott International, Inc.)

The response of one frequent Starwood customer, as captured in a New York Times article by Josh Barro, had a different tone:

“I dread to think what the merger will do to my platinum-for-life status.”

It would seem from coverage of the deal that Marriott may have forgotten who Starwood appeals to the most: higher end, frequent guests of Westin, Sheraton and W hotel chains, as well as Le Meridien and St. Regis. Starwood treats its most frequent customers to personalized service via travel ambassadors who help with booking needs and arrange for perks based on their client’s preferences.

One of several travel related mergers to be announced this year, the Marriott-Starwood deal also has some concerned about reduced competition in the marketplace. Others say the mergers are necessary to compete with outside factors like an increase in home rental sites.

Regardless of the business motives, customers don’t seem to be reacting positively to the news. Specifically those with elite status are concerned that their loyalty rewards will be devalued in the mix. Those fears may be put to rest soon, as Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson has said he will merge the two loyalty programs – no small feat given the exclusive agreements each has with credit card companies, airlines and the like.

The overarching PR lesson here may be one in basic customer service:

Direct the right message to the right audience. Marriott’s press release loudly touted staggering statistics about the combined new status as the largest hotel company – great for the business community who are watching the overall marketplace. Not so much for the frequent Starwood guest who enjoys the personalized service offered at their hotels.

Soften the blow. Knowing that there are two distinct audiences for this message, Starwood could have paired the announcement with personalized messaging to Starwood clients. Full page ads, or scripted calls from travel ambassadors would have avoided having these valued customers learn of the merger from the mainstream media.

Manage expectations. In what Sorenson has said will be “a long journey” as the two companies merge, ongoing communication with key customer groups will need to be a priority. Frequent Starwood guests are already hitting the blogosphere, drilling down to the most detailed concerns about potential lost services. Rather than feed speculation, Marriott will need to work with Starwood to keep communication channels proactively open.

Often, your message will need to achieve multiple goals with varied audience sectors. That is when our expertise can come in handy, working with you to determine the best fit for the best channels. To determine how to successfully structure your next PR campaign, give us a call at (203) 762-8833. We’re ready to help!

-BML

Effective PR from Start to Finish: Building the Sizzle Around the Perfect Steak

There is an old adage in marketing: Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak. But as PR professionals, we know that all the sizzle in the world isn’t going to sell mass market corn-fed beef. The steak has to be cooked to perfection and presented not just as a product but as an experience.

Today’s Special: Steak

Within PR, that steak is the foundation of traditional public relations activities; strategizing cohesive campaigns which incorporate the creation and distribution of news releases, liaising with the media to facilitate interviews and article placement, opening opportunities for presence at events and speaking engagements. All remain critical to a successful PR campaign, yet with such longstanding presence in the publicity world, some of these standards can be detrimentally treated as a reflex action rather than a precision tool.

Let’s take press releases. An oversimplified headline (think: XYZ Company Announces…) will have editors and writers snoozing in the first five seconds. An undercrafted headline will miss valuable SEO opportunities. The body of the release also needs to address the shrinking attention span and rushed pace of its recipient; numbers are old hat, while infographics make statistics pop off the page.

Directing a release properly is also a different game today than it once was. The old cropdusting approach – spread the word everywhere and hope someone picks it up – is a gamble at best. Pitching by the masses doesn’t fit today’s marketplace. In PR it used to be called “smile and dial” – the obligatory phonecall following the mass market release. Despite the seemingly endless number of media outlets today – the majority digital – content is still king. We need to know the editors well – not to mention the beat reporters, writers and bloggers – and tailor the pitch to best capture their attention and make their job easier. They need content; giving them the best fit possible puts yours ahead of the pack.

Creating the best quality steak also means sending it out of the kitchen in the best way possible. Just as it’s crucial to create press releases tailored to varied targets, the spokespeople who will back those releases up must be prepped in a similar fashion. For example, an interviewer writing for NPR will need answers to background questions to educate and inform their audience; a reporter for a trade magazine will most likely be able to surpass or minimize the background and jump further into the details for a B2B audience. Preparing a spokesperson for each individual interview will ensure the best presentation.

Sizzling Social

Now that you’ve crafted the highest quality steak possible, let’s get back to that sizzle.

The sizzle today is social media. At lightening fast speed, messages are posted, tweeted, retweeted and pinned…all in the name of drawing attention to that steak. As PR professionals, we need to be both masters and students of social media. Trends are constantly changing, and tracking them well means staying on top of the ways in which social media can be used, presented and leveraged.

Social media has also transformed publicity into a two-way street; one in which as much as traditional means can push a message out, the recipients of that message can respond directly and out loud. Relationship marketing has become crucial; knowing not only what a target customer buys, for example, but what they do for fun, where they live, what their priorities are – these are the keys to connecting. The opposite is a true danger zone as well; all the sizzle in the world is great, but if in the end you are serving up a lackluster steak, you will hear about it. Most likely at the same time everyone in the social media sphere is hearing it.

The Perfect Combo

We’ve defined the steak and the sizzle. The question now is:

How is social media integrated with the foundational components of PR so as to deliver the ideal campaign?

Be compelling – don’t just push generic content. Create searchable press releases with no fluff and quickly digestible information.
Be visual – Numbers in a press release make people yawn…infographics catch the eye, and make for much more viewable social media posts, tweets, and retweets.
Know who you’re talking to every time. Via every channel and in every instance, know your editors, writers, freelancers, bloggers…and tailor information for them that they can truly use.
Engage in multiple ways; presenting information through a twitter feed and through a LinkedIn post, for example, will draw different factions into the conversation.
Stay in school. Continue to be both a master and a student of social media and of journalism so that your two-way communications remain relevant in the long run.

When the sizzle around your steak is crafted for not only the best presentation, but is introducing the most delicious meal on the menu, you’ve created a successful campaign. To find out how to do both for your product or service, let’s talk. Call 203.762.8833 to start making your steak.

– BML

Show Me the Money

A well designed and executed PR campaign can go far in enriching a brand, supporting a message, and drawing attention. Hopefully, in the end, the results will lead to sales and ultimately to the internal meetings everyone loves – the ones with the power point slides featuring arrows that go up instead of down.

Other campaigns, however, cut to the chase: “We need your money.”

The simple truth is that for many businesses and industries, lack of revenue or investment means a slowdown in crucial research or production development that could benefit everyone. It is okay for companies to speak openly about this in the context of an expertly crafted PR campaign.

For one Dublin-based company, lack of investment could mean the perpetuation of a severe void in Ireland: that of locally produced, real corn tortillas.

Tortillas in Ireland? Yup. Serious business for Philip Martin, the entrepreneur and restaurateur behind the highly successful Little Ass Burrito Bar, which opened in 2012. To date, tacos haven’t been on the menu, because Martin felt the quality available in his country simply wasn’t up to par. Searching for a solution, he traveled to Mexico, learning all he could about corn within Mexican food culture and the creation of tortillas, starting right in the field.

Now, Martin is appealing to investors and foodies everywhere with a straight PR message for his newest company, Blanco Niño: “We need your money.”

Through a crowd funding campaign launched on CrowdCube, Martin – through Blanco Niño – is looking to fund the creation of Europe’s first real corn tortilla factory in Ireland. He has announced plans to create 30 jobs within the next five years, and to partner with Irish farmers to cultivate over 600 acres of farmland to grow high quality corn maize for his new line of tortillas, nacho chips, and masa harina products.

So far the Blanco Niño campaign has attracted 87 investors, contributing £121,550 (appx. $204,156). Their initial target? £60,000 (appx. $100,776).

Not bad for a campaign asking for money. So, what makes this one so easy to embrace?

Ask me nicely. Tell my why.

When crafting a PR campaign to raise revenue or funding, it’s important to treat the public as you would any investor. It’s their money, after all, and they can choose how to spend it. By offering as much relatable information as possible, you may just hold their attention long enough for them to open the proverbial checkbook.

In the case of Philip Martin’s Blanco Niño campaign, he has drawn on his background, his commitment, and his plans to give back – in a highly compelling way – to bring us in.

Background: Little Ass Burrito Bar is already well-known among the Irish in Dublin and beyond, having drawn loyal business as well as several food awards at festivals and competitions. By launching Blanco Niño, Martin has piqued the interest of those who already know his dedication as a restaurateur.
Commitment: Martin didn’t just turn down the corn tortilla options he found in his home country. He headed straight to Mexico and immersed himself in the culture – and agriculture – until he learned how to grow and make them from scratch on his own. By sharing this story, he is solidifying his commitment to making the new company a success by truly creating a high quality product for his customers.
Giving Back: Born and raised on an organic farm in North Dublin, Martin is keeping in mind the opportunity to benefit more than just himself, his restaurant, or his company. By enlisting the participation of area farmers, he is boosting an industry which has its share of challenges. By promising jobs in the new production facility, he is supporting the local community.

Through this comprehensive campaign, Martin is sharing the compelling tale of an entrepreneur who will make this happen. Who wouldn’t want to invest in a company that seeks quality, starts from scratch if that’s what it takes, and helps their community while bettering their products?

If your company has a great idea, but needs the revenue to grow toward it, your message needs a special touch. Luckily, the PR experts here at Kovak-Likly have it, and would love to be part of the drive toward your future success. To talk to us about your challenges and goals, visit us at www.klcpr.com or call 203.762.8833.

– BML