• Recovering from a PR nightmare – The 2013 Boston Red Sox

    Recovering from a PR nightmare – The 2013 Boston Red Sox

    In today’s culture of 24-hour Twitter news cycles, a string of bad PR moves can completely alter the public’s perception of an established brand or organization.

    My beloved Boston Red Sox know this all too well, and the bad PR the team has dealt with since September of 2011 is cringe-worthy and well documented. But, after heading to Fenway for a game this weekend, I’ve been amazed at how quickly the team has managed to pull a 180 and completely repair its image and tarnished relationship with its fan base.

    The team’s epic collapse two years ago was punctuated by a Boston Globe article outing overpaid, tubby pitchers for eating fried chicken and drinking bud lights during games. What followed was a disastrous 2012 season where sloppy, negative headline inducing interviews became commonplace. It seemed as though Sox players and manager Bobby Valentine (a walking PR disaster if there ever was one) never thought before they spoke while the team’s once stellar public reputation was in free fall. People went from shocked, to angry, to something far worse – they stopped caring all together.

    It was going to take more than winning baseball games to win back the hearts and wallets of a skeptical fan base. It was clear that the organization was in desperate need of a revamped PR strategy, and in a matter of months they publicly recognized the problem, switched the narrative, and made a series of great personnel moves.

    The team’s front office hired John Farrell, a far cry from his predecessor, as manager and de-facto chief Sox spokesman. Farrell is well spoken and steady handed with the media, portraying a sense of authoritative calm the organization had lacked in the past.

    The players followed their new manager’s example, and have undoubtedly gone through media training. They now come across as humble and self reflective in interviews while staying on topic and virtually always saying the right things. Basically, a group of twenty-five millionaires have completely bought into the new PR messaging. And it’s working.

    The Red Sox’s new sense of public awareness couldn’t have been more evident than after the horrible bombings of Marathon Monday. While the repaired image of a billion dollar brand seems trivial after the events of April 15th, the genuine outpouring of support from the team – through social media engagement, fundraising, hospital visits, and impassioned, expletive filled speeches – gave New Englanders something positive to think about during an incredibly dark couple of weeks.

    And the results so far? Good PR and winning baseball have come hand in hand. The Sox are in first place, TV ratings are way up, and players no longer have to worry about being slammed in the Boston media every morning. Through a string of calculated PR decisions, combined with an improved product, the once down-and-out brand has completely redeemed itself in the eyes of their target audience.

    Matter

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  • 6 Ways PR People are Like Salespeople

    I once told a young family member of mine to learn to sell, because “you’re always selling something to someone.” Like I’m doing now, trying to get you interested in whatever I’m going to type below. For years I’ve thought that sales should be a higher-profile topic at colleges and universities as the bulk of graduates will try to secure the interest of – and the associated commitment related to – something, sometime in their career. Some professionals will sell on a daily basis, while others only occasionally have the need to close a deal. Most professionals, sometime or another, will need to sell. And, that’s true in spades for PR people.

    Here are six ways that PR people are like sales people:

    First, in most cases a PR initiative begins with basic information and a general intent to bring a product, service or even an idea to market, and PR people work to craft a pitch that will resonate with the reporters, editors, bloggers and others who will communicate directly with the identified key audience. As part of the process of identifying business objectives, PR and communications professionals need to take the content available at the onset of the project and craft what is, in essence, a sales pitch that will yield results – and that process is hugely important.

    Second, no matter the specific pitch (or particular project) PR people work with a prospect list. It may be the list of media who could, perhaps, bite on the editorial pitch, or a list of publications or bloggers deemed a priority by the client. In any case, it’s the list of media targeted by the PR professional.

    Third, PR people need to sell their creative ideas to their client in advance of execution. With any luck, the creative idea makes so much sense that minimal persuasion is necessary. In most cases, however, a good PR person has to develop his or her case for why a particular idea is strategic and aligned with business goal – and get the OK from the client before execution. Yep, sales again.

    Fourth, PR people need to sell the value of PR to partners and other third-party organizations whose involvement in a case study, press release or interview may be extremely helpful to a client’s initiative. They may not entirely “get” it, but their respective buy-in is hugely important. The partner’s involvement may be the difference between carrying a credible story to market or not, so you need get their agreement to make your story stronger. How do you do that? You sell.

    Fifth, agency-side PR people need to pitch their agency as part of the employee recruitment process. Particularly in today’s competitive recruiting world, PR people are asked to contribute to recruiting success by meeting with prospective employees and persuading the prospect to consider joining their team rather than taking an alternate professional path. If you’re a solid PR pro, we’d love to hear from you, since our firm (a “Best Place to Work,”) is hiring. See what I did there?

    Finally, agency-side PR people need to pitch. They need to be part of a pitch team that shows the agency’s success and expertise in a smart and strategic way. They need to be inspirational and persuasive while being polite. They need to be smart and savvy, while not appearing smug. They need to be the very best PR people in their day job, and they need to sell their skills when called upon to help their agency thrive.

    What am I missing? What are other ways that PR people are like sales people?

    Scott Signore

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  • Stop Bashing Millennials – Especially in PR

    This post originally appeared in PRWeek.

    It’s become something of a sport for social media and business types to beat up on the youngsters joining the ranks of PR: They’re too self-absorbed. They don’t think long-term. They feel entitled. They ignore some forms of punctuation – and overuse others!!!!

    I say knock it off with the youth-bashing, folks. Every older generation since the beginning of time has looked down their respective noses at the shenanigans of “young people.” That’ll never change.

    But you can. Take your resentment, if you have any, and convert it into opportunity.

    As the CEO of a growing PR firm with 60+ employees and 50+ clients, I can say with a straight face that the younger people in our ranks continually challenge our managers, and me, to be open-minded and fluid in our approach to public relations and social media. They help keep us fresh, and a step ahead of our more complacent peers.

    No, they don’t know everything, and yes, they sometimes act as if they do. But ultimately I hire people who are confident, connected, willing and able to convert new thinking into tangible business results for clients. I don’t care if those people are 24 or 54, if they’re recent grads or new granddads.  It’s the results that matter.

    The beauty of an uncensored organization is that everyone is encouraged to have a voice. But my advice to the younger crowd is to be careful how you use it. See, just because you’re encouraged to voice an opinion doesn’t mean you should, and it certainly doesn’t mean that opinion will be valid, helpful or actionable.

    And that can cause a slight disconnect, since the younger set is accustomed to saying what’s on its mind on social channels – often without the filters we older folks have learned over the years to prevent unhelpful thoughts from escaping our mouths.

    Here’s the good and bad news for millennials: A company like mine is open-minded and willing to embrace new ideas. You’ll get a fair hearing. The bad news? Good ideas and common sense win the day, and if you possess neither, your PR career will be short.

    I’ll never bash young people ready to take on the world, and you shouldn’t either. But neither should I – or you – shoulder the burden of working with people who can’t bring results.

    Scott Signore

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  • 7 Traits of a Solid PR Pro

    7 Traits of a Solid PR Pro

     Having been around the block a while, I believe I have a good understanding of the personal characteristics that are commonly found in a successful PR professional. At a minimum, these are the traits of the folks we seek when filling key positions here at Matter Communications.  In my humble opinion, PR people need to be…

     Business-minded

    What’s the end goal? That’s what PR people need to consider, frankly more often than they do typically. The PR activities we execute daily establish a company – put it on the map – or contribute to a larger initiative designed to help it do more business. While vague, that’s appropriately described. Before acting, a PR person needs to determine: how does the desired result contribute to the bigger picture of business success?

     Flexible, nimble, go with the flow

    I can’t think of a business/career/gig that requires as much flexibility as public relations and social media. Plans, particularly those of clients’, change with nutty regularity. The successful PR pro needs to adapt and, throughout any transition, help clients achieve communications and business success no matter the programmatic direction. Social media channels present the very obvious need to be nimble: one Facebook post can change the tone of a day. In addition to being reactive and responsive, PR pros need to have the ability to professionally deal with whatever comes their way.

     Writing skills, a must have

    To be great at PR, one needs to have decent/good/better writing skills. While content development has taken on a more expansive meaning of late – see Matter Creative Services for some fun and exciting content that we are creating for clients –  the foundation of the PR agency gig is still in keystrokes. Verbal articulation, creative thinking and a positive personality are all obviously critical characteristics for any profession, but in PR better-than-basic writing skills are imperative, with colleagues and clients demanding everything from compelling blog posts to finely-crafted press releases and everything in between.

    Early in a career, be a sponge

    Becoming a well-rounded, consistently reliable and savvy PR person takes work.  The ramp-up to achieving such a lofty standard varies greatly depending on the individual, but no entry-level professional punches into a new job and immediately begins counseling the world’s biggest brands on the highest-profile communications issues. Most newbies make an impact, but there’s a difference between that impact and other more senior decision-making. There’s so much to learn in PR on a daily basis, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve loved being a PR guy since I first interned in the field. And, there are plenty of dynamite bosses and colleagues to learn from, another reason I’ve loved my career. The best young professionals “get” that experience can be gained from closely watching co-workers, carefully noting their accomplishments and learning from their challenges.

     Later in a career, don’t be afraid of learning more

    As the expression goes, learning is endless and that’s so true when it comes to the ever-evolving PR field. There’s so much to gain in every interaction with a colleague or a client, and in every first-hand experience – from a methodical, well-laid out plan to a crisis situation. The best PR pros know to embrace all that is happening around them and best leverage that data to improve as professionals.

     You have to care about news

    No matter the market, category or industry any PR person works within, they need to care about what is happening, both in their core sector and in the broader world. They need to be on top of news and trends, so that they can leverage what they know to craft story ideas that best position their client, topic, etc., within the most timely, topical conversations being had in the media and on the street.

     Thick-skin

    PR people get shot-down often. It’s a common occurrence and there’s nothing wrong with that. Amid great editorial success, we get shot-down pitching more than our fair share of story ideas, bylined articles and profile pieces. While we enjoy much strategic and tactical success when working with clients, we also get shot-down presenting ideas for new programs or programmatic approaches. It’s part of the business – and you need to roll with the circumstance. Critique and criticism are common, and is something that needs to be embraced and learned from to survive happily at any PR firm.

     Have I missed anything important? If so, let me know.

    Scott Signore

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  • At a VC fund or a PR Firm – Results Matter

    Having already worn many hats at what I still like to think is a young age, I took a less traditional path into PR.  I worked in the fashion industry as a runway and print model directly after high school.  The lessons learned from that short but extremely fast-paced year and a half taught me a lot.  I used the money made from modeling to earn two business majors and two minors at The University of New Hampshire in just three years (GO WILDCATS!).  Immediately after graduation, I landed a great opportunity at a seed-stage venture capital fund in Harvard Square.  After three years with a rapidly increasing portfolio of investments in over 150 fast growth startups, I decided to hone in on a smaller amount of companies and truly focus on marketing and branding.

    As a new addition to the Precision Group at Matter Communications, I will be working in a smaller division within the greater PR company.  The accounts will be highly customized and incredibly focused (see a trend?) to cater to companies with very specific needs. 

    Lessons learned from seed-stage VC that can be applicable to highly focused PR and marketing:

    1.  Every company has a story.  Guess what?  They’re compelling too!  How an idea can evolve from a name -> a logo -> a product/ offering -> a brand is downright cool.  Great storytellers create meaning in words and great PR professionals create meaning in a brand.  The emotional connection that we have to a brand allows for the diversification of a brand to rise above the noise of the market. Tell THAT story!

    2.  Think like an entrepreneur.  Once you meet a founder or person in charge of a company, you immediately feel their addictive passion and you’ll want to spread the news.  Wanting to spread passion and excitement for an idea is the reason I transitioned into PR and marketing from Venture Capital.  I was meeting hundreds of entrepreneurs who had real ideas put into motion, with real traction.  Who doesn’t want to hear about that next really cool app; the company revolutionizing (oh, no I used 1 of the 20 words and phrases that will doom your pitch, but if the shoe fits…) the industry; or the company pivoting to make their initial concept that much better after realizing a change was necessary?  It’s inspirational because entrepreneurs themselves are inspirational.

    3.  Understand the vision.  This one is important for both the PR professional and the company to understand.  There are times when short-term/ long-term goals are not clearly defined and this can get dangerous.  It is critical to clearly define the ultimate goal so that the PR professional can cater their strategy to produce results for a business.  This is a team effort though; if I believe that importance should be placed on specific PR approaches that differ from the founder’s vision, a discussion needs to take place to align the team’s goal. Ultimately, we are all working together to promote a brand and business that we all care about, but vision is key.

    4.  Stand out from the noise. 

     

    It’s not enough to be a great company.  You have to diversify yourself within a VERY noisy market.  Thinking outside the box and creating a very specific and original PR campaign is the difference that makes a company stand out from their competitors.

     

     

    5.  Those who can’t do, teach: Leverage your natural skills. I have always found myself saying “wow, why didn’t I think of that?”  I have such an admiration for entrepreneurs and teams of people who come together to solve a problem and make life easier for the rest of us. Incessant hunger for new ideas and the need to spread the word is in my DNA.  I was always that friend who would want to be the first to introduce others to that new awesome song, that interesting news article, or that cool new app… You get the point, I like sharing what I find and see.  Now, I get to use both traditional and social media to raise awareness for a brand, producing measurable business results for my clients.

    6.  Be industry Agnostic.  Whether the company is B2B/ B2C, product/ service oriented, or in the high-tech, healthcare, travel, retail, legal, or education industry it deserves brand recognition and management.  The challenge is to accurately identify the right audience and tools to leverage for that brand to flourish.

    My previous employment in a VC fund helped me realize that the seed-stage (newer to the market) companies needed a comprehensive introduction to the public through focused media strategies.  If I can spread the passion and interest in cool companies on a continual basis, I’ve done my job.

     

    Matter

  • Show and tell: the new PR paradigm

    I believe any PR agency in 2013 that is not obsessed with the inherent value of Search Engine Optimization should immediately sell to a conglomerate for pennies on the dollar or declare bankruptcy to protect what assets remain. You’re over.

    I believe that PR agencies who don’t understand how to actually engage with “influencers” ought to acknowledge this distressing fact candidly when pitching prospects, rather than raise false expectations and invariably besmirch the industry by clumsily spamming anyone with a high Klout score. You know what gives PR people a bad name? Bull-shitters like you.

    I believe that PR agencies who don’t have their own creative resources in-house will give up huge dollars to help outside vendors who don’t care to understand the client narrative. PR firms who pretend they “do all of that video and stuff” will not only lose money, but clients, and further besmirch an industry still trying to tamp down discussions about “bait and switch.”

    I believe PR firms who practice Bait and Switch – that is, trotting out principals and veeps for the big pitch, and then staffing the account with account coordinators and interns – should be publicly exposed and ridiculed by their upstanding peers. When we’re talking about monthly retainers from $10K to $50K per month, clients damn well better be getting senior counsel. If you’re a PR agency that relies entirely – not occasionally, not sometimes, but ENTIRELY – on junior staff, you’re a pox on the industry. Do the right thing and close your shop, since you obviously have zero business savvy.

    I believe that PR agencies which bill on a Time and Materials model are perhaps too business-savvy, since they sap a client of resources by performing “make work” and then cajole them into throwing more cash on the table for services they should reasonably expect as part of the initial agreement. I don’t begrudge anyone for making money. But I’m opposed to rigging a system that rewards PR people for draining budgets and essentially handcuffing a client until more green hits the table.

    I believe the three most important words a PR person can utter to a client are “I respectfully disagree” – not for the sake of being disagreeable, but rather as a barometer of trust. If a client puts forth a hair-brained idea, any credible PR pro should be empowered by his agency to have the moxie to say: “I respectfully disagree,” and then offer up a different solution based on years of in-the-trenches expertise.  Good ideas will win the day. Bad ideas, given a chance, destroy everything.

    I believe that a mountain of “hits” or “clips” or “impressions” amassed by a PR firm on behalf of a client are utterly worthless unless they drive revenue, increase brand awareness and help to create a halo effect for the client. They’re nice and important metrics, but I’ve never – not once – heard about a deal closing based on the number of click-throughs an article got or the “Share of Voice” in a particular piece. What do the client’s analytics say? Where is the traffic coming from, and from which source are the most deals coming from? If a PR agency isn’t asking these questions, they’re asking for it.

    I believe the PR industry is wasting its time trying to come up with “standardized measurement” or “universal metrics” upon with PR firms should be judged. That’s utter hogwash. I believe those who perpetuate this foolhardy exercise are simply looking for cover, to be “doing what everyone else is doing” as to dismiss concerns that they don’t know what metrics to capture. It’s pack mentality, and it’s wrong-headed. Explain to me how a Cloud Storage company and a Burger King and a digital photography client should be measuring the same outcomes. Please.

    I believe, because it’s essential to believe it, that a PR firm’s greatest assets are its people – not its clients. Clients will stay on board if an agency’s people consistently perform over the long-term. I believe a firm that puts its clients ahead of its people will quickly, and irreparably, find itself with fewer of both.

    That’s what I believe. What do you believe?

    Matter

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  • 6 Ways PR Was Different When I Started

    I turned 40 today and that means I’ve reached a significant milestone in my life: that I’m a hell of a long time away from when I spent time faxing out my press releases.

    Eighteen  years ago, I was an intern at Dorf & Stanton Communications in New York. That firm hired me as an account coordinator, and I’ve been a PR guy ever since. In my career I’ve held only PR or marketing positions, although I once “double dipped” and sold digital cameras to some big retailers. I’ve worked on both sides of the agency relationship – corporate and in-house – and have never looked back. While I deliberately stayed the course over the years, the PR category changed dramatically over the same period of time. Here are a few of the many ways being a PR guy is different now than it was 18 years ago when I first punched in:

    I’ve been reflecting on the past ten years of managing clients here at Matter, and another decade before that at other agency stops. And while my peers often write about “what makes a great PR client,” I think it’s equally instructive to examine the reasons why a handful of client relationships were doomed from the start: