These comparative posts are often presented as PR vs. advertising as if the two were in a Thunderdome of marketing budgets. At their best, both disciplines are very powerful, and neither does the other’s job particularly well. The time to consider which practice to use is well before you hit budgeting — it’s when you identify the need. While both are effective means to influence public perception, the effects are not similar. You can see it pretty clearly for yourself in the story of how Santa Claus took his modern form. (more…)
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Matter Communications Maintains Growth in 2011
Newburyport, Mass. – Matter Communications, a full-service public relations agency specializing in high-technology and consumer markets, posted gains in revenue, professional staff, and office space in 2011, while adding to a deep and diverse portfolio of clients. (more…)
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Matter Communications’ Video Program Enhances Public Relations Campaigns
Newburyport, Mass. – More and more business leaders are embracing video as part of their public relations campaigns, and those multimedia messages are resonating, according to the team at Matter Communications, a full-service public relations agency.
Since the PR firm expanded its capabilities to offer professional video production last year, both national brands including Sigma Corporation of America, as well as high-growth companies such as Sea Cuisine and 3DPhotoworks, have worked with Matter to develop video campaigns for websites and social media networks. These creative video initiatives have resulted in increased consumer engagement and greater brand and product awareness across the board. (more…)
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Public Relations Toolbox: Social Media Provides New Options to Impress the Client
Before I started working at Matter Communications, social media was an up-and-coming medium. Facebook was still exclusive to college students and everyone was basing their friendships off MySpace’s top eight. Fast forward to 2011, and social media is a whole new ball game. For example, I was scanning my Twitter feed today when I noticed that my colleague, Andrew Rodger, had posted an article from Forbes magazine regarding social media power influencers. (more…)
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Staying straight down the middle with Wikipedia (a public relations perspective)
I’m a fan of Wikipedia. There, I said it.
Despite all the controversy in recent years, when I want to get an unbiased, jargon-free description of what a company or individual does, I can often find it at Wikipedia which, while certainly not perfect, has really tightened up its standards of quality and objectivity. (more…)
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A little old, a little new, a little more human P.R.
For years it was called the B.O.D. or Building of Death by employees of the Clear Channel stations inside. An afternoon talk show host had adorned the seven floor office building with the name after the light tan façade had been painted charcoal black with purgatory grey accents, but the name stuck for a variety of reasons. As I pulled up in my rental car for the first time in six years, a smile crossed my face upon discovering that the entire edifice had been painted purgatory grey and this subtle change was just the beginning. (more…)
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Making Real Connections in a Virtual World the Old Fashioned Way
Having worked in public relations my entire career, I’d like to think I have my finger on the pulse of how and why people communicate. Like any PR professional, I spend a lot of time exploring emerging media and social networks to help our clients make informed choices on the best way to tell their story.
Yet in this age of multi-channel, fragmented media I still believe that sending a personalized letter or card in the mail is a great way to make a lasting impression. (more…)
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Public Relations Defined
Earlier this year, I blogged about who public relations professionals are, the many different roles we fill and my ongoing challenge to explain to family and friends what I actually day in and day out. It seems my relatives, though, aren’t the only ones struggling to understand the definition and purpose of public relations.
You may have heard by now that the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) recently launched an initiative to “modernize the definition of public relations and increase its value.” The initiative, aptly named ‘Public Relations Defined,’ aims to re-define public relations with input from those of us in the industry.
As it turns out, PRSA last formally updated its definition of public relations in 1982. More recently, a new definition was proposed but never officially adopted:
Public Relations is the professional discipline that ethically fosters mutually beneficial relationships among social entities.
Pretty vague, if you ask me.
I’m not sure the heart and soul of PR has changed dramatically over the years, but the ways we communicate and execute successful campaigns sure have evolved. And with ever-changing technology, social media and the 24-hour news cycle, that evolution is continuing at a rapid pace. Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites not only provide new ways to communicate with reporters, consumers and other audiences and stakeholders, but their effective use is nearly required. Video news releases are in; faxed press releases are out. Public relations is now mobile, social, visual. It’s out of the box.
So, how do we incorporate all that public relations is and all that we do as public relations professionals into one clear and concise definition? Will the industry come up with a definition that will finally help us answer that nagging question about what do for a living? (Please, before I head home for the holidays and face the masses would be great!) Last week, PRSA released a “snapshot” of what the Public Relations Defined initiative has gathered so far. You can find the list of top words generated from the submissions here. Front-runners include, “organization,” “public,” “communication” and “relationships.”