In November 2006, I came to my first in-person interview at Matter in a state of high excitement: not only had a preliminary phone interview led me to believe that I had found my dream PR agency, but it was the first time I’d donned heels and lipstick in over a month. My husband and I had welcomed our son to the world in late September, and I was in that stage of near-delirium produced by lack of sleep combined with incredible responsibility and commensurate happiness that any parents reading this will find familiar. (more…)
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Matter Recognized at PMDA Awards Dinner
We interrupt Matter Chatter’s typical discussion of timely and relevant topics around the PR industry to momentarily toot our own horn ….
This weekend, a group from Matter and a few select friends and clients participated in the annual Photoimaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association’s (PMDA) International Awards Dinner, just prior to the opening of the PMA 2010 tradeshow.The event was sponsored and attended by some of the most significant brands in the imaging industry, including Nikon, FujiFilm, and many others.Just attending the dinner represented an excellent networking opportunity for our agency and allowed us to mingle with the upper echelon of industry executives.But in addition to its annual awards ceremony (which included a phenomenal presentation from Sports Illustrated veteran photographer Walter Ioois) this year’s dinner included an update on the PMDA’s Portraits of Love project – an initiative in which Matter is thrilled to be actively involved. (more…)
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Thoughts on the Tiger Woods press conference
So…did anyone watch Tiger Woods’ press conference today?
Reactions are all over the place – The Philadelphia Inquirer called it a “self-serving sham.” Sports Illustrated‘s Michael Rosenberg had the opposite opinion, saying Tiger showed some emotional vulnerability and finally “introduced himself” to the world for the first time in 14 years. Gloria Allred (predictably) used the opportunity for her own benefit and labeled it “a disgrace” and “a staged public relations stunt” (which struck me as funny, since…of course it is! All public addresses and press conferences are, right??). Even walking the halls of our office here in Newburyport, comments varied and I heard some people scoffing that today’s mea culpa was “too little, too late.” Others shrugged and said it was a “smart move – he’s got good handlers.” The one thing everyone can agree on? The whole ordeal was a PR nightmare from the get-go. (more…)
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Matter Communications CEO Talks Public Relations at DIMA 2010 Conference
Newburyport, Mass. – Matter Communications, Inc., a full-service public relations agency specializing in consumer and high-technology markets, today announced that its principal and CEO, Scott Signore, will head up an informative session on executing public relations for photo marketers at the DIMA 2010 Conference. The conference, hosted by the Digital Imaging Marketing Association (DIMA) — a member association of PMA — the Worldwide Community of Imaging Associations, is being held from February 19-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. (more…)
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Please…The Wait is Killing Me
One of the most stressful parts of being a PR professional is waiting for a big hit to, well hit. After all the legwork, the research, the pitching, the back-and-forths with the reporter, the interviews, the updates to the client contacts and the other countless actions that can span out over several months, the last thing to do is to wait and scan for the coverage. Surprisingly, this part of the process is much more difficult than actually setting up the interviews, preparing the briefing materials, coordinating site visits and everything else that goes into this process. As you might be able to tell from the tone of this post and the strangely specific list of tasks I outlined, I’m waiting for a big hit.
Of course, I’ve checked in with the reporter to see if he knows when the article will run, but he’s on to bigger and better things. By constantly checking in with him, I run the risk of crossing the fine line between persistent PR professional to annoying flack that puts his expected coverage in jeopardy. So I send a short, polite email to the reporter once a week or so to see if he has any updates. He always gets back to me to let me know that the article should run soon, but that he’s not sure when, and I continue to scan.
I certainly don’t blame the reporter – it’s not his fault. He wants to see the article run, too. He did a lot of work to get it written and he doesn’t want to see his work go to waste. (I’m fairly certain he wouldn’t mind not receiving my weekly check-in email, too.) Now that I think about it, I suppose I never really considered the article through his eyes. He spent a good number of hours interviewing, researching and traveling, in an effort to put together the piece. I didn’t have to travel anywhere. I didn’t call my client’s competitors or customers, or any industry analysts for their insights.
Still, I’d feel a lot better if the article just ran, and was as positive as the reporter has assured me (please, find some wood and knock on it for me). But for now, all I can do is wait, and the wait is killing me.
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PMA or bust … or just a bust?
The Photo Marketing Association conference and trade show kicks off next Friday and, like everyone else in the industry who will be in attendance, I’m eager to see how things pan out. Much has been said about the success of the show and the future of this event since last fall, when Canon announced that it would not be exhibiting and several companies followed suit. (more…)
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Stories Matter
I tell stories for a living.
Sometimes it’s a happy story. A strong year for a client or a cool new product that consumers will love.
Sometimes it’s a teaching story. One that explains how a thing works or why we should care about a new trend.
It’s rare — luckily — that we have to explain an unhappy story about our clients. But sometimes we tell those stories, too.
I used to tell stories as a reporter for the Associated Press and Boston Globe. Sometimes I wrote “evergreen” stories like the one about a landmark that lights up the sky, one blue and red flash at a time. Other times I wrote with a conspiratorial tone, like the one about the hidden “eyes” that follow your every move.
In daily PR life as we race to keep up with busy clients, breaking news and the reporters we work with, I think we often forget that our job is to tell our clients’ stories. We’re story tellers. That new product might have 17 new features but what makes it a good story? That new executive hire might have an impressive industry background but what makes her joining your client at this moment so interesting — where’s the story there? (more…)
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Step Away from the Prius…
The Toyota recall has caused even the most unflappable owners to question their love affair with the brand. From the Woz’s Prius to Mary Chin’s 2006 Avalon, every Toyota model, even those not initially included in the recall, are in the hot seat because of the ambiguity of the situation and growing amounts of questions. Every “check engine” light or electrical glitch now will be scrutinized, and for good reason – people feel their safety has been compromised. (more…)
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Lessons in PR: Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?
Often we as PR professionals can manage to puff ourselves up…after all we spend our days working with some of the most important reporters in the nation securing targeted, business-driving media opportunities for our clients! It’s no small feat…or is it? Who would have thought a fifth grader could do it!? (more…)