Reality Check:

PR is Dead! (Oh No, Not Again!)

About LEWIS

PUBLIC RELATIONS DIGITAL MARKETING

Our Services

CONTENT RESEARCH

Wholly owned international network of 27 offices

27Over 600+ staff, fast-growing, employee-owned

600+

Founded by a journalist 20 years ago

20Award-winning global communications

Inventive campaigns that drive awareness, demand, adoption, advocacy

WARNING

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THE CONTENT CONTAINED HEREIN WAS DEVELOPED IN THE CONTEXT OF THE B2B TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY.

(Although the basic principles are relevant across a wide berth of industries…)

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The Many Deaths of PR

“DOT.COM BUBBLE IMPLODES!”

“CEOs CALL FOR AN END TO THE MARKETING ‘BLACK HOLE’”

“2008 FINANCIAL CRISIS SPELLS DOOM FOR THE MEDIA”

“EVERYONE GETS THEIR INFO FROM FACEBOOK”

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Irrefutable Proof that PR is Not Dead

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Why are People Constantly Killing PR?

It’s the ultimate “what have you done for me lately” discipline.

You can’t practically measure ROI like you can with other marketing programs.

It seems like it should be easy, but it’s extremely hard to do well.

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Where PR Programs Fall Down

A “transactional” approach to PR

Shiny object syndrome

Treating PR as a silo

PR IS A LIVING, EVOLVING, STRATEGIC DISCIPLINE

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A Transactional Approach to PR

“We need to crank out more press releases.”

PR IS NOT A COLLECTION OF TACTICS; IT’S STRATEGIC “PERCEPTION SETTING”

“Give me news and I’ll get you coverage.”

“Get me analyst briefings and speaking opps.”

“I want to know the value of each media placement.”

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Shiny Object Syndrome

“We’re moving 100% to inbound marketing.”

“Why bother with the media when I can go straight to people with social?”

“PR doesn’t generate leads like Google AdWords does.”

MARKETING IS A TOOL CHEST

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Treating PR like a Silo

MARKETING STRATEGY

PRODUCT MARKETING

MARKETING COMMS

FIELD MARKETING

CHANNEL MARKETING

CREATIVE

CORPORATE COMMS

PR

IR

ANALYSTS

Fragmented story

Underutilized resources

Limited career paths

PR as a “Tool in the Chest”

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YOUR STORY

Website

SEO

SEM/PPC

Organic and paid social media

Community development and management

Video and interactive

DIGITAL DIRECT ADVERTISING EVENTS CONTENT PR

Direct marketing

Email campaigns

Surveys

Customer programs

Target account campaigns

Print

Online

Outdoor

Broadcast / underwriting

Sponsorships

Mobile

Content syndication

Conference and trade show participation

Association sponsorships

Roadshows

Local events

Webcasts

Speaking engagements

Thought leadership

Presentations

Videos

Blog posts

Infographics

Animations

e-Books

Collateral

Industry briefs

Media/analyst relations

Influencers/ bloggers

Press releases

Contributed articles and bylines

Award submissions

Proactive pitching

YOUR CUSTOMERS, INVESTORS, PARTNERS, EMPLOYEES, ETC.

Why PR Always Matters

PR IS THE ENGINE DRIVING PERCEPTION

It is the “tip of the spear” for major corporate initiatives

It is the driving force behind advancing the company story

It remains the single most impactful source of validated content

If PR Ain’t Dead, Bring it to Life!

Perform “judgment free” program evaluation

Identify strengths, weaknesses and

root causes

Evaluate your corporate story

Evaluate marketing department structure

Set a baseline and grow

Judgment-free Evaluation

Collect 360-degree feedback – don’t agree or disagree, just collect

Put your own perceptions aside

Compare your results with peers’ results

Identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Root Causes

Are we a “usual suspect” in our market, or are we not getting our fair share?

If we’re not getting our fair share, why not?

What types of articles/reports are we not showing up in?

Why are we not showing up? Do we really belong in them? Are we dull? Do we lack content?

How much of our coverage is “transactional,” and how much is creative?

Transactional = arms and legs; creative = brains

How are we managing the agency? Are we giving them what they need? Do they have time to be creative?

Look at the things that matter:

Why should anyone be interested in your company? (Sorry…your product features just aren’t that interesting.)

What’s a drop-dead-easy way to explain how you’re different from everyone else? (Does Mom understand what you do?)

What is the “big thing” going on in the world that creates a massive opportunity for you?

Can you prove your story?

Evaluate your Corporate Story

Who owns your story? And does the story drive your communications strategy?

Is PR fully integrated with the rest of marketing?

Are there seamless flows of ideas, content, programs across functional areas?

Do you hold collective brainstorms and planning sessions?

Evaluate your Structure

ANY INITIATIVE

DIGITAL DIRECT ADVERTISING EVENTS CONTENT PR

YOUR CUSTOMERS, INVESTORS, PARTNERS, EMPLOYEES, ETC.

Set a New Baseline and Grow

You can’t change the past.

MAKE IT YOUR BASELINE.• Set new goals and expectations for your PR program• Include the agency on this initiative – and jointly own goals• Goals should include inputs as well as outputs

About PR Measurement

Don’t confuse measurement with ROI Measurement is a way to “instrument” the program to identify

anomalies and diagnose issues

Measurement is a way to understand program trends

Set goals that map to real-world conditions

E.g., coverage volume is usually dependent on availability of assets

Avoid assigning automatic “annual increases” without understanding whether such increases are warranted

Traps

Doing the same things and expecting different

results

Becoming distracted with requests that take you off

story and off trackParalysis by analysis

Confusing activity with results

Trying to get it perfect – PERFECT IS THE ENEMY OF GOOD

But the biggest trap is…

PR on Autopilot!

“ACME is the leading provider of Roadrunner eradication systems…”

“ACME’s Roadrunner Blaster is a disruptive and revolutionary technology that…”

“I’m delighted that Wile E. Coyote has joined ACME as our CTO,” said CEO Chuck Jones.

Creative Autopilot

Hyperbole replaces thought

Doing what everyone else does

Meaningless quotes

PR on Autopilot!

“No news = no coverage”

“We can’t get ACME business coverage without household-name customer

references.”

“We’ll blast the news to our list.”

Execution Autopilot

Onus avoidance

Slave to conventional wisdom

Robotic tactics

“We’re just doing what you asked us to do…”

Expertise forfeiture

CASE STUDYReviving a Program

Encryption

Situation: The “data encryption story” is old and known. SafeNet needed a way to make it interesting again. The company also needed to change the perception that database encryption is complex and expensive.

Strategy: LEWIS developed the concept of a “Secure Breach” – an oxymoron designed to articulate that even if perimeter defenses are compromised, your data can remain secure – and authored a manifesto to share with customers, the public and media influencers. This term became the basis for SafeNet's “Secure the Breach” corporate marketing initiative.

LEWIS also enlisted the help of an analyst to create a formula for calculating breach severity, to demonstrate that not all breaches are created equal. The Breach Level Index (BLI) became a tool for the entire industry to use when trying to determine the significance of each breach. LEWIS and SafeNet produced a quarterly BLI report, which we used to drive major media coverage.

Results:The first annual report was released in February 2015, and yielded more than 450 media mentions globally, making it one of the most successful announcements in company history.

✔️ Thought leadership ✔️ Analyst relations ✔️ Research/Index

We’re Here to Help

We help companies all over the world with their public relations challenges, and we’re here to do the same for you.

Andy MurphyHead of U.S. Public Relations

Email: andy.murphy@teamlewis.com

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