Monthly Archives: May 2010

May 27 2010

Clients Not Taking Your Counsel? Look To Willy Wonka For Inspiration


        PR pros are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams

I know it’s silly to look to a fictional character such as Willy Wonka for inspiration, but it’s not so far fetched.

While the biggest part of our job is arguably to get clients media placements and opportunities, we’re often tasked to come up with ideas for product launches, events, and how to generate interest in something that seemingly is not very newsworthy or sexy. This is where Willy comes in. He was all about using his imagination and coming up with ideas that most people would quickly dismiss. And ya know what? His creativity worked and everyone loved his products.

Sounds pretty similar to what us PR pros do, right? In the past few months, think about how many times you’ve gotten together with your teams and brainstormed new ideas to bring to a client. From the ones that some people may have laughed at to the ones that got everyone excited, we use our imagination and experiences to bring clients ideas they haven’t considered. That’s one of my favorite things about PR. Turning a random thought into a realistic concept.

So the next time a client turns down an idea because of budget or thinking the idea is impractical, don’t give up. It’s still our job to come up with out-of-the-box ideas and counsel clients on how to make them work … and at the very least, clients will (or should) appreciate your efforts.

May 24 2010

How To Get A PR Job In A Bad Economy

HR pro Lisa Hutchins provides tips on how to get a job in a down economy

Yes, you can get a public relations job in this economy! PR is like a high-turnover field of flowers in which practitioners and potential practitioners flourish continuously.

Do not feel discouraged if you are not hired by the first firm you apply to as there are many firms that focus on many areas and practices, which may be of interest to you.  Finding the right agency is like working on a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis – list the agencies you feel are best for you to target with your experience and you’ll find that this approach sets you down the right path to securing a job offer. 

Many human resource representatives are in tune with social media as well as actively recruit via the many avenues that are now available. Getting a job in this economy also relies on how well you brand yourself in the PR world. Don’t be afraid to use the message boards on LinkedIn – ask and answer questions where you can – brand yourself! Build up your twitter following – you will surely get noticed by HR folks who are following you. Step back and take a look at what you can offer agencies. When you send in your resume, really focus on your cover letter – make your cover letter is the one that gets attention.

If you are looking to break into a certain agency, let’s not forget that most agencies have an in-house referral program. Talk to your friends who are currently in an agency you are interested in growing your career. Not only may you get the job, but your friend also gets rewarded. Most HR folks appreciate the internal referrals as employees who refer often refer practitioners who will certainly be stars.

Most importantly, don’t give up – even in this economy.  The jobs are out there and agencies are hiring and they are looking for you to join their growing team of superstars!

Lisa Hutchins is a human resources professional who has previously worked at leading PR firms such as Ruder Finn and Cohn & Wolfe. Her responsibilities included recruiting, employee relations, and miscellaneous employee changes. In addition to her HR experience, she has also as a PR pro on an array of accounts and campaigns, including GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. Follow Lisa on Twitter via @lisahutchins.

May 20 2010

Who Should Be The Next Senior Citizen Celebrity To Host SNL?

We all witnessed, and participated, in the amazing Facebook campaign that helped make Betty White the host of Saturday Night Live, and it made me wonder, which senior citizen celebrity should be next?

And the nominees are..

Jerry Stiller - Best known for his recurring roles on Seinfeld as Frank Costanza, and as Arthur Spooner on The King of Queens. This one is a personal favorite and he’d be phenomenal on SNL.

Rue McClanahan – The man-crazed Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls, McClanahan also starred as Vivian Cavender Harmon on Maude, and as Fran Crowley on Mama’s Family.

Abe Vigoda - You may not know his name, but you definitely know his face. Vigoda became a household name for his portrayal of Sal Tessio in The Godfather, and for his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Phil Fish on the TV series Barney Miller and on its spinoff show Fish. For the younger audience to this blog, he also made regular appearances as himself (usually in skits relating to his “advanced age”) on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

Cloris Leachman - An eight-time Emmy Award winner and recipient of an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the 1971 film The Last Picture Show, Leachman has been seen everywhere from Mary Tyler Moore to Young Frankenstein to Malcolm in the Middle. She also became the oldest contestant (82yrs old) ever on Dancing With The Stars. She’s also on Twitter!

So who doeserves to be the next host of SNL?

Thanks to @GripCommPR http://www.twitter.com/mynameisduncan @MichelleJFH for their suggestions for this poll

May 17 2010

It’s OK for Jr. Staff to Disagree with Sr. Management

Has there ever been a time where you were on a client call or in a meeting and you disagreed with what a senior-level colleague was advising the client on? Raise your hand because you know you’ve felt this way on more than one occassion.

Whether it’s getting a placement in The New York Times or receiving a client shout out in an e-mail, it’s easy for junior staff that have excelled early in their careers to develop a certain confidence and mild arrogance, and as a result, think they have the right answers for every matter. So when you hear something a manager or colleague advises a client on and you disagree with their view, does it mean they are wrong and you are right, or vice versa?

There’s a few ways of looking at this. For one thing, it depends on the subject matter in which you have the disagreement. If it’s about a pitch or press release and a client is wondering just how much coverage to expect or if that particular angle can work, while a senior-level manager has the experience to properly advise the client, we can’t ignore the fact that junior staff is on the frontlines with reporters every day and can also add a credible perspective to this discussion. We all know that the media landscape is continually changing, and senior and junior staff  should work together and agree on recommendations in order to bring the best counsel to the client.

However, if it’s overall strategy or planning for the coming year in which you disagree, you might be wise to sit back and take everything in. While junior staff do get to participate in client calls and have a great feel for what the media wants, they don’t have the experience that is often required to counsel a client. It’s easy to think about what might work now without thinking about the bigger picture. I know, I’ve done it.

The moral of the story is, we would all be wise to take a step back at times and listen, take in all we can from those around us, and embrace the learning that we’re able to consume on a daily basis from all of our colleagues, regardless of title. And while it can definitely be intimidating to speak up to your boss(es), especially when you disagree with them on an issue, they will (or should) admire you if you make time to sit down with them one-on-one to discuss client strategy, why they make some of the decisions they make, etc. If you don’t ever speak up, then you may never learn as much as you could. So be smart about how you go about it, and don’t be scared to talk your boss once in a while in an effort to learn from them.

May 13 2010

PR Boot Camp for Clients: Who Should Be The Instructor?

PR boot camp for clients? Sergeant Harvey Walden IV, co-host of VH1's Celebrity Fit Club, would make for an intimidating instructor

Back in February I wrote this post for the PR Breakfast Club about PR pros needing to go through a mandatory social media ‘hell week’ in order to educate themselves about all things related to SM. So I started thinking, should our clients be required to go through a boot camp of their own?

Every client we work with is different. Some have PR backgrounds, others come from marketing or advertising, and a couple have a specific business background. And while we may like working with some, all, or maybe not even any of them, one thing is certain, we all get frustrated with them from time-to-time. At some point during our career we’ve all complained about a particular client and their lack of understanding of media and PR, which brings us to today’s post :)

If you had to put a client(s) through PR boot camp in order to educate them on expectations and some of the challenges we face in the changing media landscape, what type of instructor would you want to teach the class? A tough guy that can intimidate? A Martha Stewart-type that will be understanding and motherly? Please take this poll, send it around to your friends in the industry, and let’s find out what everyone would choose..