Who Stepped Up

Strong Internal Relationships Create Great External PR: The results can be amazing when an organization’s public relations team embraces the important role of supporting other organizational functions and operational units by taking the time to understand their responsibilites and build relationships.

The public relations team at Tidewater Builders Association is a great example of doing it right and creating an explosion of positive public relations.

PR professional Mary Prier says one of the goals of the TBA’s public relations program is to support the Member Services and Builders Services divisions in creating a sense of community and making members feel they are part of the family.

Key to this approach is frequent communication to the association’s 1,200 members. 

“Frequent communication and the recognition it inherently generates for our members creates its own energy,” Prier says.  “People want to take on new projects or get involved because they know that besides doing something good, they’ll also be recognized for it.  Everybody loves recognition.”

Some of the internal PR tactics TBA uses include:

- Blast emails to members

- The Builder, a TBA membership magazine

- Social events, such as the TBA picnic and Oyster Roast

- Charitable projects such as The Charity House to benefit CHKD, and The Scholarship House to benefit the TBA Scholarship Foundation

- Quarterly builder breakfast forums

- Weekly builder briefing e-mails on developments likely to affect them in local municipalities

- Academic scholarship awards and young designer scholarships for vocational technical students

- Cooperation with other organizations like Habitat For Humanity, which in turn leads to membership involvement

The PR folks are the glue connecting all these moving parts.  They also seize the opportunity to communicate great internal stories to their external audiences.  Here’s a glimpse of what the TBA team recently accomplished in just one month:
 
- Blast email sent to TBA members generated $30,000 in donations for Tornado Relief in Suffolk

- Helped plan, coordinate and generate publicity in The Virginian-Pilot’s Home section for $85,000 in TBA scholarships to high school seniors

- Helped plan, coordinate and generate print, broadcast, radio and online publicity for Homearama

- Helped plan, coordinate and generate publicity in The Pilot’s Home section and WVEC TV-13 for the dedication of the Charity House at Homearama in the name of a CHKD patient

- Created a compelling video during Homearama and posted it to YouTube.  The video shows Chuck Miller of Miller Custom Homes demonstrating the strength of the concrete form walls he’s using to build “The Mothership” at this fall’s Homearama.  It features Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf using a Tornado Blaster to propel two-by-fours through wall panels, then at Chuck’s concrete form walls.

The video also shows innovative green features of Chuck’s home while it was still in its pre-drywall phase. In attendance were members of Virginia Beach’s Green Ribbon Task Force, inspectors, and other important TBA target audiences.  You can view the video here.

As you can see, a strong internal effort leads to great external visibility.

How dedicated is your public relations team to learning about and building relationships with other divisions in your company or organization?

June 18, 2008 | Filed Under Public Relations | Leave a Comment 

Who Stepped In It

Betraying Trust:  In the public relations business, loyalty is a precious commodity coveted by CEO’s and business leaders.  The currency of their conversations is trust.   The CEO counts on his or her public relations professional as a consultant, sounding board and trusted advisor to navigate fickle publics, aggressive media, and instantaneous, worldwide communications.

Last week former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan released his book presenting a less than flattering view of his former boss, who is also the President of the United States.  This is a perfect example of what not to do when you have a seat in the boardroom and are trusted. 

Like an attorney-client relationship, good public relations consultants know what happens in the board room stays in the board room.  When the doors are closed and bad ideas are raised, THAT’S the time to address them and resolve them — BEFORE improper actions are taken. 

If any employer insists on doing something inappropriate, deceptive or illegal, it’s easy to find the door without guilt.  Many PR consultants do.  A recent client of mine wanted me to conduct a wide-ranging slur campaign against another company.  That client was dropped immediately.  I was out a fair amount of money - no big deal.  The world is loaded with great clients and business people.

Top-notch public relations consultants owe their clients loyalty in every respect regardless of where they stand in the lifecycle of their employment.

Good PR consultants view their clients as clients for life.  Much like a family member, good friend, or clergyman, when a client confides in you, you have an obligation to maintain that loyalty and trust.  When you’re on the inside, you take it to the grave. 

If you need attention, you’re in the wrong business.  Being a PR consultant is not about you; it’s about the CEO, the organization, and its publics.

If you’re a public relations professional with a desire for writing books, you should change careers now, pick good subjects and enjoy a long career.  Otherwise, you’ll write one tattletale book and be done.

Once you sell out the boss, how long do you think your PR career will last?  PR consultants live and die by reputation.  Would you want Scott McClellan on your team?

June 5, 2008 | Filed Under Public Relations | 1 Comment