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| Publicity Ahoy! |
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Junk at your peril: PR may not be a lifesaver on stormy seas but it will help keep you sailing. Read on to find out how and why PR is a survival kit essential.
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| Ronn Torossian, vice president and group director at The MWW Group, ranked among the 20 top PR firms in the United States, heads the company's New York City-based Israel group, which currently represents clients such as Net2Wireless, Oblicore, Inc., and Intercomp.
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When the market is in a slump and the eerie words "rationalization," "re-strategizing priorities," and even "belly up" continue to echo in the corridors of companies great and small, how do you justify the public relations budget line? "Simple," says Ronn Torossian, VP at a leading U.S. PR firm, The MWW Group. "The product has to be sold, and for that you need to raise public awareness. Using good public relations and marketing can make the difference as to whether a company succeeds or not." PR Insight states, "In the new economy, mind share is all-important, and no tool creates share-of-mind more effectively than PR."
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Stormy Seas |
Companies attempting to stay afloat might still jettison PR as an "extraneous" expense. Is this shortsighted? Torossian warns that when companies see sales figures falling, they must keep their sales mechanism going. That means keeping PR on board. "Marketing and PR can be relatively inexpensive expenditures in any case," he observes. "And they build consumer and investor confidence in the product being sold. Lose your branding advantage and you can lose the market."
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| PR is one of the most misunderstood and undervalued components of any marketing initiative. In the current competitive environment, public relations is the most integral and crucial part of an overall marketing strategy. It can take companies and intellectual property to unforeseen heights, creating trends and building markets.
Brian Solis
In PR, You Get What You Pay For
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Would it be more costly in the long term to kill the PR campaign now, only to resuscitate it later, when happy days are here again? "High-tech marketing has enough risks as it is. Don't increase your risk by short-changing your PR effort," writes Brian Solis, In PR, You Get What You Pay For. And, of course, there is a real danger that the consumer will have moved onto another product that was not subjected to a PR blackout during those rough times. As Torossian puts it, "this is a time when we are witnessing the 'survival of the fittest.' " Israeli companies with good, well-marketed products are actually seeing tremendous growth."
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| Survival Kit |
"When the going gets tough, the tough get creative." So says Sheila Washington, president of Catalyst, in a Fast Company.com article. Torossian suggests working with a PR consultant (or handling it in-house, if you are really stretched) with a three-stage targeted strategy:
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| |  | Build relationships with local media executives and journalists. Garner press support.
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| | | Develop a cohesive "free PR" plan that includes, for example, clever placement in editorials and features rather than paid-for advertising space. "Keep your eyes focused for inexpensive PR and marketing opportunities," Torossian recommends. Every company development provides an opening for some PR, whether it relates to a brand new use for the product, relocated offices, or a new joint venture.
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| | | Once the company and its product(s) are featured in articles nationwide, aim for exposure through speaking engagements at industry-related functions, trade shows, special events, and corporate sponsorship. (Take note: Corporate sponsorship does not have to mean a rock concert. It can translate into twelve Junior Soccer League players' shirts for your local team.)
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| | All Abroad |
For Israeli companies seeking to penetrate international markets, Torossian has these words:
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| | Most companies seek out representation as a way to establish and grow an international customer base. Branding the company tends to be the first focus, as building up credibility within the targeted market is crucial to attracting both customers and investors. Reputation is also an important goal and the more positive buzz around a company or product, the better for business.
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| | Set Sail |
"The strength of Israel's scientific genius lies in the technological aspect of the business. To gain competitive advantage, Israeli technology companies need to get their products and messages out to global markets — and that much of this can be largely accomplished by incorporating public relations within their marketing activities," concludes Torossian. And that is true whatever the weather.
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The Trendletter team welcomes your comments.
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