Thoughts on My First Week as MarCom Director

Photo by Allure West Studios

Posted by Jonathan Morein

They say that when you start a new position, you should take plenty of notes.

Well, on this, my first week at Furia Rubel Communications in Bucks County, I’ve taken pages. Books even. So, for my first blog post, I thought I’d boil down my thoughts and share what I’ve learned so far. First, I have to say, this is going to be a great job! I’m amazed by my colleagues. They are organized and detailed and will challenge me to perform at my very best.

Second, I felt I knew the company, its philosophy and its team before I even got started. For a boutique integrated marketing agency, Furia Rubel has a powerhouse presence. Their posts about marketing have influenced my thinking for years. This speaks well for a company that practices what it preaches when it comes to the power of thought leadership.

Third, Furia Rubel is extremely well organized in its thinking and its programs. I’m amazed at the sophistication of our strategic planning processes. My first assignment is to prepare an assessment for a strategic marketing plan for a new client. I’ve conducted brand assessments many times before – or at least I thought I had. This one is like nothing I had ever seen. Comprehensive is an understatement, with dozens of questions on everything from their business model to their work style.

Why so much detail? I think it’s because Furia Rubel leaves nothing to chance. We’re building a blueprint for communications success. From great plans spring successful marketing and public relations campaigns. I’ve read through hundreds of strategic plans and these are the most detailed and well-integrated that I’ve seen in a long time.

Furia Rubel defines its process as “Communications Made Simple.” Achieving simplicity is hard work. It’s like being the proverbial duck gliding across the water. The smaller the ripples on the surface, the more furiously it’s paddling below.

Looking forward to paddling with you in the months ahead.

All the Best,
Jonathan Morein

By the way, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmorein or on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/JonMor to share your thoughts.

Getting Press For Your Small Business Event By NAWBO

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Tuesday’s NAWBO event at the Merion Cricket Club in Haverford brought together women small business owners, public relations professionals and local media professionals from around the Philadelphia-area region. The event titled “How to Get Press for Your Small Business” was very informative with media professionals from radio, newspapers, magazines and TV were in attendance.

The two-part program, moderated by Jennifer Sherlock of Jenna Communications, featured panelists:
• Craig Ey, Philadelphia Business Journal - Editor
• Jeanine Clingenpeel, SmartCEO magazine – Editor
• Debbie Goetz, Debbie Goetz Media Connections, LLC - Public Relations & Media Relations Consultants
• Nydia Han, 6abc Action News Consumer Reporter/Anchor
• Autumn Marisa, Host for Tango Traffic
• Brad Segall, Suburban Bureau Chief at KYW Newsradio 1060
• Karen Hepp, Anchor and Reporter - FOX 29 News

Some of the most important and useful takeaways were:

Craig Ey shared that the Philadelphia Business Journal reporters often get swamped by email and it’s refreshing to get a pitch via telephone. A great way to be quoted in the paper is to find a trending news topic and tie your expertise into the story. The best time to send a press release for an event is one week in advance.

Debbie Goetz notes that it’s important to find a pitch angle or hook to tie in current events or local ties for the media. The news must answer the question, why should I care?

Jeanine Clingenpeel encouraged small business owners to provide content to SmartCEO out of the “Spirit of Giving” meaning that the information in an article should be a useful resource to the readers. Experts should give back of their knowledge and share information that will resonate with the audience. Articles should be written to display thought leadership and the writers need to know the magazine’s niche audience. She encouraged the event attendees to read the magazine and know the audience it serves.

Brad Segall loves unusual, quirky and bizarre stories for the radio. He talked about the morning drive prime time on the radio and how it’s a popular time for news because motorists listen to KYW on their commute to work. Key stories that catch his eye are the ones that can help make a change or how to do something in a better way. At some point, when you pitch him a story, he is going to get you or your client on the phone to gauge how well you come across.

Autumn Marisa discussed putting a personal touch on an email to her, but remembering to keep it concise and to the point. She suggested following her on Twitter. Many don’t realize that Tango Traffic is a 24-hour traffic channel and Autumn shared that during a 4-hour show, the hosts need things to talk about.

Nydia Han encouraged people who want to pitch the media to “think outside the box.” She said it’s really important to have the expert be available when pitching a story. If someone makes themselves available at last minute when they are needed, the media is more likely to call them the next time an “expert opportunity” pops up. She gave tips to keep in mind:

• Make sure your news is timely and different.
• Make sure it has a wide appeal for the audience
• Could be a solution to a problem
• “News you can use” – should teach people
• Must have visual appeal for TV, provide a wow factor

Emotional news that will make people angry or feel good can help to determine if the story will interest the media. She also said that senior citizens and pets are always good visual topics.

Lastly, Karen Hepp noted that experts on the news need to be good at TV – speak in short sound bites, know their material and be confident. She emphasized the need to personalize a pitch to an individual reporter.

All in all, the event was very successful and helped to give some good tips on media pitching and the best ways to get the attention of the media. To get started, do some intial earn a reporter’s beat or discover who the publication caters to and begin to cultivate a personal relationship.

Tips From Journalists: How To Avoid Being Blacklisted By The Media

Want to know what journalists want from you and how to avoid being blacklisted? Here are the answers from members of the media. Check out my latest public relations for lawyers blog for The Legal Intelligencer.

http://thelegalintelligencer.typepad.com/tli/2011/02/tips-from-journalists-how-to-avoid-being-blacklisted-by-the-media.html

Looking Back: FRC Offers Timeless Media-Related Tips

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Over the years, my fellow bloggers at ThePRLawyer and I have passed along some amazing resources and shared lots of information that we hope you have found as valuable as we did.

Today’s post is media-themed and highlights a few tips from our Furia Rubel’s archives.

Television Interview Tips has points that are still relevant today. It is most important to plan what you’re going to wear for an on-camera piece. Gina cautions against choosing white, black, busy patterns or bright reds. Check out more helpful hints here.

Preparing Your Spokesperson offers techniques to help company representatives prepare for public speaking. The speaker’s facial expressions and tone of voice all play a role in their credibility. Gina also advises to keep answers short. This great post can be found here.

In a post called, Working with the Media, Gina offers guidelines for PR professionals when working with the media. She encourages building long-term relationships. Having a specific media spokesperson for your company or business provides a consistant contact person and helps foster relationships. More tips can be found here.

It’s amazing to go back into the archives and discover the relevance of our tips and guidelines even years later. It shows that informed, good public relations is timeless!

How did Tiger Woods Do?

My friend and colleague, Karen Friedman, shared her thoughts about Tiger Wood's media appearance today. Karen is a fantastic communication coach. An award-winning television news anchor and reporter who has interviewed thousands of people, Karen now teaches others how to make the most out of every media interview, appearance and presentation.  Tiger would have done a much better job had he had Karen on his team. Here's what she had to say and I couldn't agree more.
_____________________

Tiger's public apology is being blasted. Critics say he apologized for too much too late. They say he appeared defensive when he told the media to leave his family alone. And then there was his wife Elin. Well, actually she wasn't there, another strike against him. But let's look at this differently. The mistakes were already made and that can't be erased so let's talk about how he came across.

Real Deal?

Was he genuine or phony? For someone who didn't want to talk, he did talk and went further than many expected and certainly further than most public apologies. To my surprise, he came across as heartfelt. He looked like a guy who fell down a well and was desperately trying to claw his way back. To his credit, he vehemently defended his wife and also to his credit he blasted the media for bothering his family and implored them to leave his kids alone. Good for you Tiger. I am a former card carrying journalist and am embarrassed to admit the number of families I've been forced to chase in search of ratings.

Keep Religion Out of It

True, Tiger is a megastar who brought this on himself so whether he offered a public apology or didn't, the story was not going to go away. When the time comes for him to return to golf, it will surface yet again. What could he have done differently? If I had advised him, I would have told him to drop the Buddhist upbringing stuff. He said he strayed away from it which might have contributed to his behavior. Who am I to doubt him, but that part didn't sound very authentic. He also went on way too long. Then there was the controlled prompter like read which was almost okay until the camera broke and he could only be photographed from the side which made the event look a little too staged and robbed us of seeing his eyes and expressions so we could decide if they matched his carefully crafted words.

Missed the Mark

In classic crisis communications, Tiger did all the right things. He profusely and sincerely apologized, took responsibility for his behavior and promised to work on his problems even though that was something he should have done months ago. But I'll tell you what was missing. Candor. Tiger should have made a short statement and then immediately taken questions which he should have answered as bluntly as possible. Instead of asking people to believe in him again, this would have shown people why they should believe. Like the saying, actions speak louder than words.

Karen Friedman, Pres. Karen Friedman Enterprises, Inc.
Web: http://www.karenfriedman.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenfriedmanenterprises
Facebook: http://profile.to/karenfriedman/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/karenfriedmane