Public Relations (PR) is another branding medium that can reach audiences who may not be strongly influenced by the more traditional forms of advertising. Human nature is such that an opinion expressed by a supposedly impartial third party (e.g., friend, neighbor, relative, reviewer) carries more weight in forming or reinforcing an opinion partially formed through advertising than does straight advertising. If a potential movie viewer sees advertising about a new movie, he or she may form their opinion as to whether they will be motivated to buy tickets for the movie based on the opinion by the movie reviewer on the network morning program or the opinion of a co-worker or neighbor.

Good PR may be free or very inexpensive, especially when compared to the costs of an advertising campaign to reach the same population. A positive story in the newspaper or a guest appearance on a radio talk show will get through to many more people than will advertising in the same media.

Why? Because positive PR comes across as an “editorial endorsement” of the person, item, or project. It is not necessarily filtered out by a consumer’s subconscious advertising filters. The consumer thinks that positive PR is not controlled by an advertiser and therefore considers it a disinterested third party’s opinion.

Good PR is often far more credible than advertising. A Broadway producer knows that he or she can buy a full-page ad in the New York Times. And so does the public. But the Broadway producer also knows that a positive review by the New York Times reviewer is a virtual guarantee of a long run. In our perfect world, a full-page ad would run across from the positive review.

Lack of control is the downside to PR. Just as a positive review will almost guarantee success for a Broadway show, a negative review will also almost always guarantee a quick closing. The realistic brand manager must acknowledge that it is impossible to manipulate every element of PR the way every element of advertising can be controlled.

PR can be used as an advertising and promotion tool, but not necessarily as a branding tool. The moment a supposed disinterested third party parrots an organization’s branding statement, the average consumer will begin to sense that something is wrong with this supposedly disinterested third party. For example, suppose one of your important brand image dimensions is your station’s association with a local sports franchise. Use PR to set up a visit to a local children’s hospital with your sports anchor and some local team players. This should result in exposure from the local newspaper, hospital internal and external newsletters, and, of course, the station’s own news coverage. This has a side benefit in that it may also give the news department an entré into the hospital when they need to talk to a medical source. One general manager is fond of saying, “If my station does something and we didn’t cover it, then it didn’t happen.”

PR can also be used as damage control. The classic example of this is the unfortunate series of crimes involving tampered bottles of Tylenol. Tylenol’s maker immediately set out to (1) acknowledge there was a problem; (2) recall ALL Tylenol products, even those brands not involved in the tampering; (3) explain the steps being taken to make the bottles tamper-proof; and (4) make the company’s upper management available for any and all press exposure. Even though this course of action cost the company millions, the public perceived that Tylenol’s maker was taking positive action on behalf of the public, and the brand came back stronger than ever.

PR plans are targeted to specific audiences. You’ll be dealing with three distinct kinds of PR:

Outside PR targets the broad-based group of your station’s viewers.

Business PR targets clients, potential clients, investors, and community and governmental leaders.

Internal PR targets station personnel to keep them informed about what’s going on where they work: What the station is doing, when events are taking place, special employee efforts they should know about, and personnel changes and additions.

You have a range of media to use and know about with PR. Newspaper, radio, newsletters, special events magazines, and special events.

With all the options, what comes first?

Like taking a trip, know where you’re headed. Ask yourself what you want to do. By identifying goals you will know exactly what you want to achieve. If you want a story about the station or a picture in a trade publication, you can make it happen.

16.1          THE MEDIA RELEASE

Media releases follow a fundamental form, giving news outlets a quick, easy-to-read information sheet that tells your story. This goes for the conventional, or paper, releases or for the electronic releases sent through the Internet.

All releases have the following:

   A headline

   A subhead—describing more detail about the story

   Date and city of origin of the news item

   Station contact name (for quotes)

   Station phone number, as well as fax and e-mail

Begin the release with a strong first sentence. Recall the journalistic W’s: who, what, where, when, and why, as well as the additional how. If you have a question about how this format should look, ask some one in your newsroom for a copy of a recent press release, or get a network press release and copy that format. Failing either of those, hop on the Internet and search for “news release” (in quotes). You will probably get tens of thousands of examples.

Keep in mind your release is a direct representation of your station to the other media, so think before writing and make sure you have everything spelled correctly.

If you are sending a picture with the release, make sure it’s the kind of picture that the publication needs. On the back of the picture, take a blank white sheet and put the name of the persons depicted, their titles, and what the picture is about. This sheet of paper is called a cut sheet. Fold the cut sheet over the bottom of the picture so the information shows on the front. Include the station contact and phone on the cut sheet, too. The same goes for a JPEG/JPG you include in an electronic press release.

You are in a creative business, so be creative with your press releases. Ask yourself: “How do I get attention?” and “How can I get attention with this news?” Perhaps a memorable leave-behind will back up the news you want to share.

16.2          CONTESTS

Contests also present opportunities to extend brand awareness. They garner attention from consumers who, true to human nature, are looking for something for nothing. If the prizes are appropriate to the brand, they may provide opportunities for brand sampling. This is especially true in broadcasting, in which contests are used extensively (and sometimes exclusively) to increase viewing for a sweep period.

There are a number of good reasons for stations to conduct contests. The first and most obvious is to drive viewership to targeted day-parts. For example, contests can be very effective in building viewership to early fringe or newscasts, and they create awareness of a new program or new programming line-up. They provide an opportunity for a station to affect viewing habits by forcing the audience to watch.

Contests are also used by many sales departments as a way of providing value-added aspects for clients. If a client can see increased traffic because of a contest, the sales department can press for a renewal at higher rates.

One unusual way contests can benefit your station is through database marketing. How? Because people who enter contests have demonstrated their willingness to be a part of a two-way communication. The reasoning goes that because they are willing to talk with the contest sponsor, they will be more likely to be a part of a ratings sample universe. If they cooperate with Nielsen, the reasoning goes, these responders may be influenced by the contesting station’s efforts. Thus a database with people who have demonstrated a willingness to cooperate in responding to surveys may be built by the savvy contest sponsor and potentially used to influence Nielsen families directly.

Contests may be tailored to appeal to specific demographics. For example, if a station wishes to build its young male viewership, it will conduct a contest with prizes that appeal to young males. The same principle holds if a station wants to build viewership in fringe counties. It may use direct mail in those counties (in addition to contest piece distribution in other, more generalized outlets, such as a fast-food chain).

For example, again suppose one of your important branding associations revolves around a local team. It is easy to create a contest with a prize such as a set of season tickets. This contest not only drives viewership but also establishes a close brand association between the station and the team in the minds of audiences. This simple contest thereby positions your station against the competition that was too late to get on the ball!