• Matter Reaches 500 Hours of Volunteerism!

    Matter Reaches 500 Hours of Volunteerism!

    “From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.” – Arthur Ashe

    I am excited to share that the talented professionals here at Matter have reached their objective of dedicating more than 500 hours of volunteer time to worthy entities and initiatives across five offices nationwide.

    Since the start of the year our dynamite staff served meals at homeless shelters in Boston, Boulder and Newburyport, provided books to needy children in Portland, worked with the Ronald McDonald House in Providence, and all offices walked in “awareness events” for a worthy cause. And that’s just the beginning: on a monthly basis our team has been a force of goodwill by delivering on their promise to give back – and having their time as working professionals be even more meaningful. They’ve rolled-up their sleeves and got things done, and I am tremendously proud.

    We launched our Helping Hands initiative at the end of last year, and it has been embraced with gusto by employees who want to collaborate outside of the office in the spirit of making a meaningful impact on the world around them. In most cases, the monthly event in each office has a waiting list of participants from so many generous volunteers eager to participate. I am so grateful for the willingness the staff has shown to sacrifice both professional and personal time to give back to the communities that we care so much about. Please join me, in tipping my hat to this kind and tremendously generous crowd.

    People in need matter. Helping hands matter.

    Scott Signore

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  • The Difference Between PR and Marketing

    Public relations professionals know it. Marketers know it. Beyond those folks, however, the difference between PR and marketing may well remain one of the world’s best-kept secrets… until now.

    While both share a common goal of attracting and retaining business, their approaches and roles differ greatly, yet are equally important to businesses of all sizes and industries. Further confusing matters is that these two functions usually work together under the auspices of business development and/or marketing.

    Here’s a quick rundown on the differences:

    1. Focus

    • Marketing focuses on advancing a company’s services or goods (business development)
    • PR focuses on advancing the company’s relationships (media relations)

    2. Function

    • Both are management functions and work closely together
    • Marketing directly contributes to a business’ bottom line
    • PR indirectly supports the business’ goals and objectives, which fuel the bottom line

    3. Targets

    • Marketing targets clients, including other businesses
    • PR targets the media that reaches a company’s desired audiences. The media are PR’s lifeblood, though in these changing times, a dedicated team will go the distance to communicate with a company’s non-media stakeholders, such as customers via social channels (LinkedIn, Facebook) or by creating corporate communications (investors). PR targets the media to reach the following audiences, depending on a company’s goals, and creates outreach strategies.
    • Examples of key audiences include:
      • Current and prospective clients, including other businesses
      • Internal audiences, employees (talent retention)
      • Potential lateral hires and C-suite staff (talent recruitment)

    4. Impact

    • Marketing helps bring in new business
    • PR helps build a positive internal environment and external image
      for a company and its reputation, which helps bring in new business, and attract and retain talent (and makes marketing’s job a lot easier)

    5. Paid, Earned, Owned Media

    • Paid media primarily handled by marketing
    • Earned (editorial by third parties) and owned (website) handled by PR
    • Earned media carries the most weight (this is the top reason why a business benefits from investing in a sustained PR program)

    Making the PR commitment, setting expectations

    The decision to embark on a plan takes thought and time, and there are several topics to consider before making the commitment – and investment.

    • Leadership buy-in. Seems like a given, though buy-in here means that company leaders accept that PR is a strategic long-term partner. Mutual respect and open lines to the top management team is key. A plan won’t work unless trust has been built, and that rapport can only be established through continued contact.
    • Defined goals. A PR department operating in a vacuum is a waste and can be potentially costly. The more defined an enterprise’s business goals, the better; and the more the PR is involved or aware of them from the get-go is best so the media team can create a meaningful communications strategy. Ongoing collaboration is a non-negotiable. Unlike an advertising buy, which is usually a one-off transactional exchange, a PR program is an ongoing relationship, much like a marriage.
    • Set expectations and commit. A robust PR operation is just that. Its mission is to leverage a business’s news of all kinds in the best interest of the enterprise. Sometimes things go smoothly. Other times, not-so-much for one very real reason: The media do not work for businesses. PR professionals know this, and recognize the value of setting expectations with company leaders when embarking on a PR plan. Making sure everyone is on the same page will ensure a positive process, which in turn will lead to more positive results.

    Claire Papanastasiou

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  • Does your PR Agency “Do” Video?

    The statistics are everywhere: people are hungry for online video. Overall, research estimates that the number of video views among Internet users grows north of 25 percent per year. If you think that number is going to recede any time soon, you’re likely also banking on the fax machine as the future of lead generation.

    So what has this to do with public relations? Here are three ways engaging video can help with any public relations efforts:

    1. On social channels, posting videos increases engagement by 100 percent or more, depending on which survey you read. So, if 50 people click on your text-based post, on average, then you can expect 100 clicks if you include video. More clicks means more chances to attract buyers of your products and services. More eyeballs is good PR.
    1. News outlets are always hungry for great video content that their readership will click and share. If you understand the media landscape for your company, and actively identify the sites and blogs that accept video, you can essentially develop a syndication network for your content. That’s powerful, but the key is that the video has to be entertaining or otherwise add true value. Sales pieces aren’t going to fly.
    1. Quality video can effectively humanize a brand by bringing the viewer “into the fold.” When fans, prospects and others are able to see your culture, hear your thought leaders talking and experience a slice of life from your company, they feel more invested in your success and are more likely to buy from you – or want to work for you.

    The key to all of this is the quality of the video. More is better, but quality always trumps quantity when it comes to using the power of visual imagery for public relations.

    What other ways do you use video for PR?

    Scott Signore

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  • 4 Reasons Why Digital Video Will Win The Decade

    4 Reasons Why Digital Video Will Win The Decade

    Last week at CES 2016 in Las Vegas, Robert Kyncl, Chief Business Officer at YouTube, presented the keynote on why digital video will win the decade – and video and content marketers should take note.

    But before diving in, let’s refer back to 2012 when Kyncl made some bold predictions. He said that by 2020, “90% of all internet traffic was going to be video traffic,” and “75% of all video people watched in the US was going to be transmitted through the internet.” Fast forward to the CES 2016 Keynote, Kyncl justified his predictions by educating the crowd:

    • “Cisco predicts that video will actually reach around 90% of global internet traffic by 2019 – so a full year ahead of schedule.”
    • “By 2020…digital video will only reach about 60% of the total pie, not 75, as predicted.”

    However, Kyncl is standing by his latter prediction because he doesn’t think digital video will grow linearly – currently at 25% a year – but exponentially. “So, this being Vegas, I’m doubling down. I believe digital video will overtake TV to become the single largest way people spend free time before the end of the decade,” states Kyncl.

    Per Kyncl, here are four reasons why digital video will win the decade:

    1. It’s inherently mobile

    Bigger, brighter and sharper screens, longer battery life, stronger and faster data speeds, and better sound quality are all trends producing devices constantly improving on the mobile video viewing experience. “And app makers and publishers, from Snapchat to The New York Times, are all investing in making video a core part of their experiences, accelerating mobile video consumption,” adds Kyncl. “And on YouTube, the average time people spend watching video on their mobile device is forty minutes, a gain of 50% year-on-year.”

    2. It’s endlessly diverse

    With digital video, not only can audiences share and search, but choose to consume at their leisure. The mobility is “successfully changing the way we consume video into the way we consume books – you can find one on whatever interests you and consume it whenever and wherever you want,” explains Kyncl. “That openness has led to incredible content diversity. Not only do we have videos on every topic imaginable, entirely new genres of video have been born on YouTube.”

    3. It’s never been more important to music

    Aside from sleeping and working, watching video is the #1 way people spend their time. What’s #2? Listening to music – at just over four hours a day. “And YouTube is a major source of that music,” Kyncl reports, “More than half of all teenagers use [YouTube] as their main way to find and listen to new artists, in large part because we have the biggest and best music library available. If an artist has a live performance, a remix, an acoustic version or an out of print track, chances are you can find it on YouTube. But the best thing about music on YouTube is that music videos can become massive phenomena, whether they’re from established or emerging artists.”

    4. It’s immersive in a way TV can never be

    CES 2016 product and technology trends in Virtual Reality and 360 video are at the forefront of this statement, and leading content creators around the world are using this technology to tell richer, immersive, and interactive stories.

    “Already on Android and soon in iOS, you’ll be able to watch any video on YouTube in VR…making VR truly democratic and primed to grow exponentially,” concludes Kyncl.

    These four reasons and trends all point to digital video’s success during the decade.

    To watch Robert Kyncl’s Keynote in its entirety with compelling cameos from Scooter Braun, founder of SB Projects, Nick Woodman, CEO of GoPro, and Chris Milk, CEO of Vrse, carve out an hour for the video below:

    Fill out the form below to schedule a free strategy call with our team.



    Tim Bradley

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  • 3 Things to Look for When Watching a Video Sizzle Reel

    3 Things to Look for When Watching a Video Sizzle Reel

    At year’s end, most video production houses should be recapping their latest and greatest work into a short video for the world to see. Also known as the “sizzle reel,” this video showcases said video house’s best work and truly provides good insight into the group’s production value, quality, aesthetics, and knowledge in industry. This best-of-the-best video is ultimately edited very intentionally to project or parallel the type/style of video the House wants to be creating in the future, so I’m offering some tips of what to look for when watching a video house’s sizzle reel. If you’re a B2C or B2B content marketer or business in need of a video and researching production houses, keep an eye on these key elements within a sizzle reel:

    1. Production Value

    A simple quality control check, ask yourself this question: does this look good to me? From drones to jibs and image stabilizers to dollys and sliders, there’s nearly an infinite amount of production gear readily available to video producers to create dynamic video that help craft your story and detail your message. A professional video house should be using ALL of them, and not resting on the laurels of any given one. The sizzle reel should exemplify all facets of production tools and techniques. And two major things that are equally as important as the video quality are the lighting and audio. Lighting sets the tone and mood of the picture so working beyond just natural lighting is important. And many splashy sizzle reels tend to omit audio clips and soundbites, choosing to let the music bed do the talking, but we all know that audio can make or break a video so it’s important to provide examples of professionalism.

    After these essential fundamentals, it’s important to dive a little deeper and acknowledge the editing choices and techniques showcased in the sizzle reel. Shot selection in a sizzle reel is important to acknowledge because every video editor should be very deliberate in any video project; each shot should tell it’s own story in some way. In a sizzle reel, each shot should highlight some facet of the video house’s production value: camera movement, framing, lighting, audio, video coverage type, and/or industry knowledge. Lastly, bonus points for advanced editing techniques such as timelapses, transitions, overlays, color grading, motion graphics, animation, etc.

    2. Industry Knowledge

    In a 1-to-2 minute sizzle reel, there’s plenty of opportunity to showcase one’s expertise in any particular industry. Especially when, to reiterate, the sizzle reel is a video house’s opportunity to present the type of work they want to be doing. As a content marketer, it’s important when reviewing a sizzle reel to note what type(s) of industry said video house has produced work with/for because each has it’s own opportunities and challenges. Primarily working with an industry that’s based mostly outdoors vs. working indoors is probably the most obvious, but others include: product vs. service, people vs. places, and action vs. static.

    Working with a creative services group that’s in-house of a PR and social media agency offers a wide berth of industry perspective and knowledge that ultimately translates cross-businesses. Not being stuck in just one industry can open up possibilities for how you look at other projects, and allows for fresh perspectives as well as best practices when creating different types of videos.

    3. Story-telling

    A video house’s expertise can fall under any number of arenas: company explainers, thought leadership, company or product launches, testimonials, recruitment, lifestyle, event coverage, social media, live broadcasting, etc. And obviously a sizzle-reel is a compilation of many such individual stories. But it’s important that the sizzle reel should tell a story within itself as well. A content marketer should be able to watch the sizzle reel and have a good understanding of the video house’s service offerings as well as the expertise they can bring to the table.

    If you’re a content marketer who plans to produce engaging and compelling video, we’d love to brainstorm your ideas. What types of video do you intend to create? Check our Agency Reel:

     

    Tim Bradley

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  • Infographic Best Practices

    Infographic Best Practices

    Data, data, data… how can we make the communication of data quick, clear and interesting? Of course an infographic. Love it, great idea. But not all infographics are created equal. So what makes one stand out as effective and unique? Well, in my first couple of months here in Studio C at Matter Communications, I was tasked with creating a couple of these information graphics one of which ended up in Times Square in New York. I figured this was a good time to share some infographic best practices for creating and laying out an infographic.

    Start with a concept

    Depending on who the client is and what their data is about, deciding on a visual direction is the first decision you’ll make. For example, one of the infographics I created recently was for a company that tracks food safety. With that in mind, I selected visuals for the infographic that reinforced their story. Fish on a plate, pizza, bread—all of these visuals were either used as basic illustrations to give greater context to the information, or were turned into representations of the data.

    Keep it short

    One of the bigger challenges I’ve come across is a client submitting long explanations for each data point. Focus on a visually interesting number or percentage is usually distracted by a long statement expounding on the data. While there should always be a description of the data—so it makes sense and is true to the facts—some clever copy editing can help de-clutter the design returning the reader’s attention back to the most impactful parts.

    Charts and graphs

    Here is an opportunity to have some real fun. Since you started by selected a visual concept, you can now turn a regular pie chart or bar graph into something interesting that stregthens the concept. In my example earlier of the food safety client, I used a flat vector style for the design and selected different foods to be in the layout. In one area of the graphic I cut a loaf of bread in two, making one section of bread just about 2/3 of the entire loaf. The data was refereeing to how 2/3 of the respondents of a survey answered a certain way. This visual representation of the data was certainly more interesting then a generic chart.

    And Some Technical Thoughts 

    When it comes to color and typography, less is more. But you can get a lot of mileage out of just a couple of typefaces and a few colors. My first suggestion is to stick with a client’s visual corporate standards. Choose fonts and colors that are on brand and work well together. The key is to choose a font that has a large family — many weights and styles. This will allow you to create emphasis, texture and contrast to the typesetting. As for color, use a few “percentages” of a color to create depth. Both of these strategies will lend the overall layout a uniform feel while presenting variety in the design.

    Have fun creating your next infographic. I know I will!

    Matter

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  • Target, Toys and the Art of Newsmaking

    “No news is good news.”

    You’d be hard-pressed to hear this uttered in any PR agency setting. It’s a perennial responsibility of agencies to portray clients as dynamic forces in their industries. If our client produces nothing but guitar picks, we’ll go hoarse cheering that this year they sold the MOST guitar picks, or that they’re the first company to produce picks from 100% post-consumer recycled content, or that their picks were used by 40% of performers at Bonnaroo. Pinpointing these interesting angles amongst a maelstrom of murky branding is one of the most rewarding parts of the job, and a non-negotiable skill when writing a good pitch.

    2015 is hardly over yet, but it has already given us some great examples of brands who have either spun no-news straw into gold, or made mountains of pointless molehills, depending on your perspective.

    This week, Target jumped into the fray with an announcement that toy aisle signage in their 1,799 (and counting) stores in the U.S. will drop gender-specific terminology. Essentially, the LEGO aisle will now read “Build Sets” instead of “Build Sets for Boys.” Aisle layout will remain unchanged, and no official statements as of this post suggest a disruption of the familiar but jarring line that bisects Nerf and Star Wars from nine aisles of retina-singeing hot pink Barbie displays. Business as usual, with a very slight change to aisle text.

    No big deal, right?

    It mightn’t have been. Instead, Target seized the opportunity to turn a potentially mundane policy shift into a cultural milestone, riding waves of both outrage and support into the various news and social media feeds of their audiences.

    The significance of aisle text for toys seems minimal. Glaring visual cues, colorful logos, and luring endcaps mean that if you’re at a big box store looking for a Bratz doll, you need only glance, reach out your hand, and pull one from the shelf. They’re easily-browsable by design.

    Dissection of store planograms aside, my point is that Target could have taken this bold step easily and quietly had they skipped the fanfare, removing gender references from signage without the majority of customers even noticing a difference. These types of aisle markers are updated regularly for a variety of innocuous reasons, typically with no notable impact on the shopping experience.

    In the land of big brands, however, “no notable impact” can spell a missed opportunity. Instead of the subtle approach, this week’s splashy announcement garnered exposure on national news outlets and across a variety of social platforms, awarding them a precious 24-hour reign over national conversations about corporate social voice, gender issues, childhood development, and a host of other hot-button topics. To say nothing of the politics of the decision, the communications strategy supporting the announcement is a shrewd, well-executed run at earned media exposure that communicates authentic and relevant thought leadership.

    TIME – Target Finally Listened to My Viral Tweet About Boys’ and Girls’ Toys

    LA Times – Target plays catch-up in removing gender-based toy labels

    Huffington Post – Target Angers Customers With Its Stores’ New Non-Gendered Policy

    The killing blow, whether intentional or by coincidence, is the timing. This family-oriented announcement preempts most competitors’ traditional back-to-school marketing. Old Navy might be pushing ads for discounted jeans to stock your scholastic wardrobe, but for the better part of a week, Target is dominating parents’ social media feeds, nightly news broadcasts, office breakroom discussions, or even a company blog (ahem) with relevant cultural dialog. Locking down that unfair share of voice is a big deal as families are planning back-to-school budgets, which rose 8% on average over last year.

    But what’s the risk to Target’s bottom line? Potentially, very little.

    Target’s ubiquity and all-in-one-shopping value proposition means that many folks vocally put off by the policy change will once again pass under one of 1,799 scarlet marquees once this story fades. Carts will swell with laundry detergent, dog food, Game of Thrones Blu Rays, and the seduction of instant retail gratification will win back all but the most irretrievably offended. In the short term, supporters of the decision will also see themselves philosophically aligned with the brand, and feel a twinge of pride the next time they swipe their credit card.

    My preceding speculation notwithstanding, there’s still a lot that marketing and communications professionals can glean from this announcement about the subtleties of positioning and newsmaking. And who better to learn from than a successful, high-visibility brand like Target?

    A few takeaways:

    • Interpret national trends and conversations through the lens of your brand, and hunt down relevant, timely entry points to make your mark.
    • Take risks, but calculate them. Boring companies don’t make news, but wild shots can take you beyond controlled controversy and into the danger zone.
    • Consumer brands are often made or broken over the emotional response they inspire in their base. Finding creative ways for audiences to identify with your brand’s voice is a frontier of consumer engagement that shouldn’t be ignored.

    A quick note: We work with a lot of big retailers and consumer brands, some of which have relationships with Target, so we’re always looking at their communications strategies with interest. The above reflects the perspective of this writer, and is in no way informed by proprietary knowledge of this or any other related brand.

    Matter

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  • "What do you do?" Defining the undefinable career in Public Relations

    I have come to terms with the fact that my parents will never be able to confidently explain to their friends just what it is that I do. The conversations often go something along the lines of:

    “She works in PR.”
    “Oh, what’s that?”
    “It’s something like advertising.”

    It’s okay Mom and Dad, I still love you.

    I’ve been having this conversation with clients a lot lately. In asking them “how do you describe what you do to your family and friends,” most reply with a defeated “they don’t get it.” It’s much the same with us PR folk. The truth of the Matter is, even us practitioners have trouble describing exactly what we do. We “work in PR” but what does that encompass? We are media mavens, creative writers, even more creative thinkers, event planners, cheerleaders, and most of all advocates. Advocates for understanding and creating public understanding of the wide array of clients on our roster.

    The irony in our predicament is that while we may struggle in an elevator or a bar to explain what we do, we have built the foundation of our careers on perfecting our ability to do just that for our clients. If you look at our client roster you’ll note that we there are some brilliantly complicated brands on there, brands that without our assistance have often struggled with that same question.

    So while many still struggle to answer that age-old question, here are the top three things I believe we do (and do very well here at Matter) in PR:

    We tell stories: Not only do we tell stories, but we find the stories within the stories to tell. We exist to bring our clients into focus in a crowded world by shining a light on what makes them unique (and awesome, in our opinion).

    We engage: PR is a profession of constant communication. Communications with our clients, with the media, with our colleagues, and with the public. We love it. What better way to learn a story to tell than by getting it right from the source?

    We dig deep: We are a breed of people built to immerse ourselves in learning as much as we can about the brands we represent and then weave it into our DNA. On top of that, we are balancing current events, industry trends, deadlines, holidays, and personal schedules to ensure we’re communicating with the media and the public most effectively.

    Basically, what we “do” in PR is… we do it all. What do you do?

    Matter

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  • 4 Tips for Getting Work Done – Anywhere

    Here at Matter, our team of 80 plus employees works out of four main offices: the Newburyport headquarters, Boston, Providence and Portland, Oregon. In addition to those four offices, we also have other small offices that team members work out of, and we all share the need to occasionally work from home, especially since most of us are located in New England and road conditions can be dicey during the Winter months (is it Spring yet?). Furthermore, working in the public relations industry often means traveling for client events, tradeshows and media briefings, meaning almost any spot during those trips might be your desk for a short amount of time – your hotel room, a cab, a coffee shop, your lap. I personally work out of both the Matter Newburyport and Boston offices, and lately, I have been thinking about what makes a remote work environment conducive to, well… work.

    Outlined below are several tips I find helpful to keep in mind for successfully working remotely.

    1. Bring your office essentials. First of all, don’t make a “rookie mistake” and forget your laptop charger or your phone charger. Leaving these at your permanent office or at home can mean falling out of communication with colleagues and clients. But this tip is also about identifying what makes you personally effective at doing your best work and making that work-enabling environment a reality. If you usually keep snacks at your permanent desk (guilty) bring them to your remote work location; if you like your desk area really clean (oops, guilty again), bring disinfectant wipes.
    2. Don’t fall into an email vortex. When I’m up in Newburyport, I like to walk around the office to have face-to-face conversations with my colleagues, not only because I genuinely enjoy chatting with coworkers and it’s nice to stop sitting for a while, but also because this often makes for higher quality, clearer discussions than phone and email allow for. This isn’t always possible when you’re working remotely, so if you can, check in with colleagues via phone instead of sending emails all day.
    3. Don’t forget to put some clothes on. What? OK, this may sound like a given, but what I mean is, look the part. Just because you’re alone in your house on a snowy day or in a hotel room during a trip doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put your best face forward. In fact, I’m a firm believer in starting the day the exact same way every weekday. By treating it like any other work day, you’ll feel ready for a hard day’s work and confident about your professional self.
    4. Remember it’s often a privilege (unless it’s your only option) to work remotely. Everyone has trouble mustering motivation at different points in their career or on any given day. But it’s important to keep in mind that being able to work out of a location that’s more convenient for you (and perhaps less convenient for your colleagues or employer) is a nice perk. This means it’s essential to work just as hard, if not harder than you do on a typical day. Doing so boosts trust among colleagues and managers and helps ensure you maintain this privilege going forward. Win-win, right?

    Do you have any advice for working remotely? And what type of environment do you find most conducive to hard work? Tell us in the comments below!

    Matter

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  • PR People: We Know Enough to be Dangerous

    PR People: We Know Enough to be Dangerous

    Public Relations was not my first career choice, or so I thought. I thought that I wanted to be a lawyer, in fact I took the LSAT not once but twice, but the universe it seems had different plans. Now I find myself in a career where I represent my client’s best interest in the court of public opinion – sound familiar?  I often find that when I tell people what I do, they scoff and dismiss me as yet another liberal communications person, who was too lazy to develop the skill set of say an engineer or physicist or… a lawyer. It might not help that I live right next to Harvard and MIT, some of the most renowned academic institutions on the planet.

    I think there is a major disconnect between what people think that PR practitioners do and what we actually do. People seem to either think that PR people are slackers or not academically inclined, or my favorite – “Your work sounds like that show Mad Men.” Well let me tell you that we work very hard, and the only thing that I have in common with Don Draper and the misogynists at Sterling Cooper is an affinity for good scotch and a catchy tag line.

    Like any profession slackers make their way into PR, but they never last long and are usually weeded out early in their would-be-careers. Real PR pros – the great ones – are experts in dozens of disciplines, or at least they can convince other experts of their superior knowledge. Today I may be trying to convince a producer at NBC of why a consumer product that shines shoes is superior to all other shoe cleaning options, and tomorrow I may be talking best practices for ensuring healthcare IT security compliance with an editor at the Wall Street Journal.

    In PR you learn quickly that editors, producers and journalists have no problem telling you that you clearly have no idea what you are talking about, so you have to get a clue and get it quickly. Learn enough to be dangerous in a number of arenas and present that knowledge intelligently and confidently in a way that convinces the real expert that you just might know something more than he does – that is what it takes to be successful in PR.

    The business savvy that PR practitioners must possess, even at a young age, is something else that I think that many outside of the profession do not recognize. The opportunity to work with C-suite executives on major accounts provides a level of access that most twenty something’s can’t even dream of. You have to believe that if you are writing the CEO’s byline for Forbes you are getting a high level of attention. You also can be sure that you have instilled a high level of trust in your skill set.

    Also, as PR agency people become more seasoned, we get to witness acquisitions, mergers, hirings, firings, product launches… you get the idea – another level of access that not many people are privy to. Throughout the course of all these business moves we also get to see what works and what doesn’t. Not that PR people are or should be business advisors, but I have met some senior people who are certainly capable.

    PR requires a constant personal evolution, whether it is to keep up with new or social media or simply to learn about a new client’s industry. Good PR people aren’t just master communicators they are master formulators, planners, organizers, managers, writers, technologists, sociologists, psychologists and whatever else they might need on that day to get the job done.

    Ryan Lilly

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