Public Relations articles by the best and brightest in the field

• Talk to Me: 10 Tips for Translating PR Results Into the Language of Businessby Diane Thieke
  As communications experts, we should find it easy to convey the value of our services to the business managers in our organizations. Yet many public relations professionals struggle with expressing results in a way that allows senior executives to easily recognize the impact that PR has on the success of the business. more
• Closing the Marketing Credibility Gapby Geoff Dillon
  By now you've heard the news—your paid marketing and advertising efforts are suffering from a loss of credibility with your target market. Marketing authorities Al Ries and daughter Laura have even declared the "Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR" when it comes to building brands and perceptions in the minds of consumers. In effect, marketers are now dealing with a "credibility gap"—if you were to create an ad tomorrow that was 100% fact, your target audience may not believe the message solely because it came in the form of a paid advertisement. The good news is that you can close the gap significantly for your brand's marketing activities by leveraging PR and marketing together. more
• How to Be a Good Public Relations Clientby Ford Kanzler
  Since public relations isn't done "to" a company, it's done "with" the management team or owners, there's an essentially different nature to how this kind of professional service is successfully delivered. It's much more akin to legal or medical services with the "defendants" or "patients" (read management team members) having to be deeply and consistently involved in an on-going process. As the now famous slogan coined by tech PR guru Regis McKenna goes, "PR is a process, not an event." Without that, it generally goes nowhere and the agency won't be working with that client for long. more
• Direct-to-Consumer PR Reflects Power of Do-It-Yourselfby Gail Martin
  With the rise of search engines, Wi-Fi, and a Do-It-Yourself mindset, today's consumers are more empowered than ever before. They not only believe that they're entitled to information but also have unprecedented access to information on a global scale. An increasing number of consumers turn first to the Internet when they want to make a purchase—even if the product will be bought offline. That's why any PR strategy focused solely on media gatekeepers is missing a large piece of the market. While there's still value in sending your message via traditional media, more and more prospective customers are doing their own research online, bypassing newspaper, magazines, radio, and TV completely. Here are five tips for creating successful direct-to-consumer PR. more
• Case Study: The Attraction Advantage—How Mexican Mangos Ripened Sales 13% in Four Monthsby Jenny Schade
  It's a marketer's dream. Customers are so passionate about your product they actually crave it. In fact, outside of the US, your product is the number-one consumed fruit. However, here's where the dream hits reality. You're in the US, where two-thirds of US consumers have never tasted a mango. You've been hired to generate sales during the Mexican mango season—which is only four months long. One thing is crystal clear: You have to get it right the first time. Or mangos will be out of season and you'll be out of a job. That's the situation that our firm, Lewis & Neale Public Relations and JRS Consulting, faced when EMEX, an association of Mexican mango producers and shippers, retained it to conduct a four-month campaign (limited to Mexican mango season) to increase fresh mango visibility and consumption in the US. more
• Operation Beijing: What PR Is Doing Wrongby Martin Lindstrom
  There's a lot that China could do better, like every country in the world. But the Beijing Olympics PR machine is failing badly to put a positive spin on anything. So, what are they doing wrong? more
• Why You Are Unpopular Online: Six Ways to Doom Your Community-Building Effortsby Mack Collier
  Companies are increasingly looking to create vibrant and healthy online communities for their businesses. But many companies are seeing their efforts fail or produce flat results. Here are six reasons why many online communities never materialize, and what you can do to improve your own efforts to build online communities. more
• E-Marketing: Greening the Digital Processby Chet Dalzell
  For those of us who were brought up e-marketing, e-shopping, e-dating, e-gossiping—and all things e—we may feel smug that we are truly paperless (are we really?), and thus we are so green in our behavior that who would dare cast a stone at us? Well, it's time to wake up. Direct mailers can actually be very responsible environmentally—and perhaps e-marketers need to pay closer attention to the environmental life cycle of digital commerce. more
• Open Letter to the Would-Be CEO Bloggerby Todd Defren
  Dear CEO: Welcome to the blogoshere! So, umm, how do you really start? How do you get started blogging, and do it well? Let's avoid the technical requirements. (You've got people who can figure that stuff out!) Instead, let's focus on creating the right mindset. more
• Special Report: How the 'Obama for America' Campaign Used Digital Media to Turn Ordinary Citizens Into Campaign Evangelistsby Kimberly Smith
  How did the Obama for America campaign do it? By its adherence to several game-changing strategies. more
• Top 5 Legitimate SEO Techniques That Will Help Your Business Get Foundby Mike Volpe
  Gems of 2008: People have not stopped buying things, so how are they researching and purchasing products since they have made themselves immune to old marketing techniques like banner ads and direct mail? The answer is with search engines and Google. According to comScore, Americans conducted 11.5 billion searches in June 2008, and Google was used for 61.5% of those searches. This means it is essential that you make it easy for customers to find you, and one of the most effective ways to do so is search engine optimization (SEO), which focuses on getting your Web site listed in the unpaid, organic search engine results. more
• Eco-Logos: A Double-Edged Sword?by Jacquelyn A. Ottman
  Eco-logos are all the rage—but how valuable are they as a marketing tool? Are there some hidden risks that warrant a second look? Let's consider the three ingredients of an effective marketing logo—green or otherwise—and their implications for the savvy eco-marketer. more
• Big Impact from Seemingly Small Changes: How Multinationals Are Starting the Sustainability Journeyby Rachel Botsman
  We are awash in "green" articles that highlight examples and best-practices of companies such as Patagonia, Stonyfield Farm, and Timberland—businesses that have had sustainability as part of their DNA from the outset. But what is the right approach for large, multinational brands? more
• Measuring Social Marketing and Mediaby Laura Patterson
  The more quantitatively you can measure your social media, the better. And the closer those measurements are to business outcomes, even better. How rapidly people in the network engage with you and respond to your "call to action," such as write a review, participate in the blog discussion, or forward something to a colleague... can (and should!) all be measured. more
• How Your Business Can Benefit From Using Twitter: Four Proven Strategiesby Mack Collier
  Business are flocking to Twitter, but many still aren't sure how to leverage the tool to grow their business. Here's how Comcast, Dell, The Home Depot and others are using Twitter to reach their customers and nurture their businesses, and how you can, too. more
• What Do Your Marketing Communications Reveal About You?by Becky Carroll
  Every touch from every department is marketing. Each customer interaction, whether via phone, email, direct mail, or Web, leaves an impression about your brand. Are your marketing communications self-serving, or are they serving customer needs? more
• Four Lessons for Fostering Employee Brand Ambassadorsby Elaine Fogel
  Marketers spend gazillions on branding. But what is often missing is a focus on the people who carry the brand around every day: The front line folks who answer phones, sales reps who follow leads, the custodians.... Every word they utter is part of your brand. Yet, how many of them are aware of that? more
• Four Steps to Writing Search-Engine-Optimized Press Releasesby Kim Cornwall Malseed
  More than 90% of journalists go online to find story ideas, with 73% specifically researching press releases. With Really Simple Syndication (RSS) and free automatic email alerts from Google News so readily available, it makes sense that the Web is a prime source of consistently updated information for busy journalists. So how can your organization capitalize on these trends? more
• How to Launch an Effective Blogger-Outreach Program in One Dayby Mack Collier
  Too many organizations have made bad impressions on bloggers by trying to reach them on their terms, instead of the bloggers'. But the process of engaging bloggers can be surprisingly easy. Follow these steps to launch a simple but effective blogger outreach program... in one day. more
• How Boar's Head Is Defending Its Brand Against the Old Flimflam: Six Steps to Empowering Your Customersby Glenn Gabe
  This is a tale of flimflam and a unique way that Boar's Head is battling it. Given the power of word-of-mouth, it's hard to overlook the potential of how Boar's Head is empowering its customer base. (And see how you can, too.) more

Public Relations: See all 185 marketing articles

Public Relations case studies, deconstructing real life examples and illustrating lessons learned

• Generating Serious B2B Buzz With Dead Bugs... and VideoGrasshopper.com
  CASE STUDY: Entrepreneurs, by definition, don't play it too safe. So for a company that serves startups and small businesses, what better way to launch a rebranding campaign and generate buzz than doing something novel and risky—but being wicked smart about it. Which is where the bugs come in. more
• Tips From Microsoft on Cultivating Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty on a Global ScaleMicrosoft Corporation
  CASE STUDY: With millions of customers in more than 90 countries, Microsoft has its hands full keeping customers satisfied and loyal. But it has found a way to do so—by using Web-monitoring tools, social-media analytics, and the energy of influencers. Read on for valuable insights. more
• How Good Karma Mixed With Moxy and Social Media Created Close to $1 Million in RevenueHelp A Reporter Out
  CASE STUDY: How does helping out a friend, or a friend of a friend, become a million-dollar business... with not a penny spent on advertising? When those little favors are in huge demand—and word-of-mouth and social media spread the good news like wildfire. more
• How Twitter Helped Save Ford From a PR DisasterFord Motor Company
  CASE STUDY: When US Airways flight 1549 landed in the Hudson River, Twitter users broke the news, 15 minutes ahead of mainstream media. The same channel and its immediacy also helped Ford Motor Company's head of social media quell a different kind of disaster--of the PR variety. more
• How OfficeMax Helped an Education-Focused Charity Increase Funding and Classroom AdoptionsOfficeMax
  CASE STUDY: OfficeMax teamed with nonprofit Adopt-A-Classroom to create an annual event to recognize and reward standout teachers for their dedication and sacrifice. This year, OfficeMax stepped up its marketing for the program, upping classroom adoptions +800%. more
• How a Technology Company Leveraged March Madness Live Streaming to Increase Visibility for Its Own ProducteTelemetry
  CASE STUDY: When CBS Sports announced that it would once again live-stream the NCAA March Madness tournament during regular business hours, eTelemetry jumped at the chance to use the event as a prime backdrop for its own campaign. more
• How One Whitepaper Generated 500 Leads and Significant PR for a B2B ManufacturerJER Envirotech
  JER Envirotech, a manufacturer of environmentally friendly thermoplastic biocomposite materials, needed to stand out in the green manufacturing industry. Its solution: create a white paper to both explain and build credibility for its offerings. Here's how that led to 500 new leads over 60 days. more
• How a Consumer Electronics Company Leveraged the Power of Community to Uncover Market Preferences and Build Excitement for a New Product LineEastman Kodak Company
  When it chose to enter the saturated inkjet market 20 years late, Eastman Kodak had a few surprises up its sleeve. Still, the company found it also needed a little marketing ingenuity if it was to gain market share. more
• How a University Embraced Social Media and Scored Millions in YouTube ViewsCarnegie Mellon University
  How does a university up its visibility with an increasingly wired target market of both students of alumni? By orchestrating a Web 2.0-focused Web site redesign that set the foundation for an ongoing social media campaign. more
• How a Finance Director Left Her Day Job and Launched an 'Engaging Brand' Online via a Podcast and BlogThe Engaging Brand
  A finance director, feeling stifled by the corporate world, launches her own business based in branding and egagement... with only $1,000 to spend. Two years later, she's a blog and podcast star with a successful business. more
• How a Technology Firm Upped Webinar Attendance, Improved Lead NurturingObjectivity, Inc.
  By hiring an outside expert in lead optimization and leveraging its full range of data, San Francisco-based Objectivity increased turnout for its webinars an average of 10%. The quality of the leads is high as well: More than 30% of the leads typically score high enough to be handed off to sales. more
• How a Consultant's Internet Radio Show Led to New Business, New Sources of RevenueCRM Essentials LLC
  Atlanta management consultant Brent Leary launched a radio show in 2006 to help small and mid-sized businesses understand technology. It proved so popular that he evolved the show into a series of online podcasts, bringing new business and (ultimately) new revenue to his 15-year-old consulting business. more
• How an International Beer Co. Keeps Its Brand Distinctive and FreshGuinness (a Diageo company)
  Guinness, the top-selling stout in the world, is facing competition as the beer industry consolidates. It also needs to diversify its customer base, as about 95% of its sales volume comes from four markets. Here's how Guinness maintains its distinctive brand reputation. more
• How a Tiny Manufacturer Convinced Apple to Stock Its Product and Tripled SalesWi-Gear, Inc.
  Wi-Gear, an independent manufacturer formed in 2004, was focused on one product—a wireless Bluetooth headset—geared toward the Apple iPod. It had a tiny sales and marketing budget and no outside capital. It needed to grow its distribution from just online sales to other retail outlets, preferably Apple Stores. But plenty of competitors also made wireless headphones for iPods, and they too wanted to get into Apple's stores. more
• How a Swiss Co. Doubled US Sales by Convincing Consumers That Its Product Is Hip and Worth a PremiumSIGG USA
  SIGG had been selling its aluminum water and fuel bottles to the US outdoor market for years at a price about twice as much as the closest competitor's. It counted on the Swiss reputation for quality to drive sales—but sales were flat. Then its newly formed US subsidiary made some surprising discoveries via market research. more
• How an ISP Used Online Chat to Lower Customer Service Costs and Achieve an 80% Customer Satisfaction RateEarthlink, Inc.
  Earthlink, one of the country's smaller Internet service providers, serves just over 5 million customers. To differentiate itself, it has decided to provide superior customer service. An early adopter of chat technology, it has sought to actively offer efficient online customer service via chat—both shifting customer support away from the less-efficient phone channel and increasing customer satisfaction while dramatically reducing expenses. more
• How a Nonprofit Used Member Resources to Increase Brand Awareness Across Multiple MarketsOregon Sports Authority
  The nonprofit Oregon Sports Authority (OSA) was striving to bring new sporting events, teams, and tourist dollars to the state. It also wanted to become the official sports resource for state residents. An overhaul of its promotions and more compelling communication of its brand were the ambitious goals that the four-employee nonprofit set for itself--and achieved, with a little help from a capable member base, which included the likes of Nike. more
• How a Web Services Firm Used 'Fanatical' Customer Care to Increase Sales 60% Year Over YearRackspace
  With Web hosting fast becoming a commodity, Web hosting firm Rackspace realized it needed to stand out from the pack. Its founders decided they would stake a claim to "fanatical" commitment to customer service. Rackspace wove the concept into its very business structure, even trademarking the term "Fanatical Support." And it worked: Revenues grew more than 60% from 2005 to 2006, and the number of employees more than doubled. more
• How a Nonprofit Developed Marketing Materials That Spoke to Its Culturally Diverse Audience, Bringing in New MembersSan Francisco Health Plan
  A nonprofit health-plan provider serving lower-income San Francisco residents was designed for and by the residents it served. The health plan said it took "pride in speaking the language" of its local residents—but the community has large Hispanic, Vietnamese and Chinese populations, as well as other ethnic groups. more
• How an Internet Company Attracted Top Talent—and PR—via a Viral VideoRhinofly
  When Dutch Internet company Rhinofly needed new designers, project managers, and programmers, the company didn't want to use traditional job boards because in the past they hadn't been effective in attracting qualified candidates. To target the best tech-savvy job candidates, Rhinofly created a video capturing the essence of the company while creatively conveying the job descriptions. The video went viral, bringing in not only top job candidates but also widespread publicity. more

Public Relations: See all 27 case studies

Public Relations online seminar broadcasts from the best minds in marketing

• Green to Gold: Why Smart Companies Are Going Green (Even in a Recession)Attendee rating:  - Feb 12, 2009
• Lose Control of your Marketing: The NEW New Rule of Marketing & PRAttendee rating:  - Jan 7, 2009
• Content Marketing: How to Position Your Company as a Trusted Expert ResourceAttendee rating:  - Dec 4, 2008
• Direct-to-Consumer PR: Putting the "Public" back in Public RelationsAttendee rating:  - Sep 11, 2008
• Identity Marketing: Using PR to Reach the Minds (and Wallets) of Today's Diverse ConsumersAttendee rating:  - Apr 24, 2008
• Telling a Story that Sells: Case Studies with HeartAttendee rating:  - Feb 14, 2008
• Publicity Power Tool: Building a Great Online Press KitAttendee rating:  - Nov 15, 2007
• How To Build a Consistent Pipeline of Customer ReferralsAttendee rating:  - Oct 18, 2007
• What Marketers Need to Know about Podcasting and Streaming VideoAttendee rating:  - Aug 9, 2007
• How Connected People and Companies Are Winning Big in the Tech-Savvy Consumer PlaygroundAttendee rating:  - Jul 25, 2007
• How to Tell Your Story to the MediaAttendee rating:  - Jun 21, 2007
• Inside Secrets for Using Blogs Effectively in Your Marketing MixAttendee rating:  - Jun 14, 2007
• How to Develop Quality e-Newsletter Content Without Breaking the BankAttendee rating:  - Apr 19, 2007
• Social Media 1.0: What B2B Marketers Need to Know About Video, Widgets, Blogs and MoreAttendee rating:  - Apr 11, 2007
• Blogs, Tubes, Twitters, and More: Emerging Media's Impact on the Customer ExperienceAttendee rating:  - Mar 29, 2007
• e-Newsletters: Get Attention and Build LoyaltyAttendee rating:  - Feb 22, 2007
• The New Rules of PR: How to Use Press Releases to Reach Buyers DirectlyAttendee rating:  - Jun 29, 2006
• Inside Secrets to Building Links for Online Publicity, Buzz and Search Engine OptimizationAttendee rating:  - Feb 16, 2006
• WHAT WORKS SERIES: QuickBooks Makes Blogs Part of the Marketing MixAttendee rating:  - Jan 26, 2006

Public Relations: See all 19 seminars

Public Relations mini articles distilling bite-sized advice (from our Get to the Point newsletters)

• Now That's a Good Release!Small Business
  "As many of you know," begins an article in a recent edition of the Editorial Emergency newsletter, "[cofounder Julia Rubiner has] been cranking out publicity communications—bios, press releases, one-sheets, corporate ...
• Try not Pitching at AllSmall Business
  Valeria Maltoni receives four or five press releases on a typical day—and most leave her singularly unimpressed. "'I think you're fabulous' may seem like a good idea for a subject ...
• The Two-Edged Sword of the TestimonialSmall Business
  Holly Buchanan opens a post at the FutureNow blog with a pair of seemingly contradictory ideas: that testimonials work very well and that they don't work at all. Both are ...
• The Deep Pockets of ChattersCustomer Insight
  Do Chatty Cathies spend more money online than other cyber citizens? New research says indeed they do. A recent survey of regular online shoppers from BoldChat and Bravestorm, LLC presents ...
• Be Professional: Act Like It's a Cocktail PartyMarketing Inspiration
  You might have seen the PSA in which a teenage cyber-bully reads her hateful words from the podium of a school assembly. The absurdity of the scene illustrates a disconnect ...
• Tell It Like It IsMarketing in a Downturn
  We can't escape bad news—story after story about layoffs, closures and falling profits. It's only natural that employees are worried about the safety of their jobs. "Am I next?" they undoubtedly ...
• Too Smart to Lose Interactive Marketing
  Last year, Southwest Airlines refused passage to two young women for obnoxious behavior. The ladies immediately went out and told the press they weren't permitted aboard because they were "too ...
• Me, Myself and My CompanyMarketing Inspiration
  Especially in the last few years, the concept of personal branding has begun to take hold. Many of your employees now see themselves—and not just your company—as a brand they ...
• Now That's Good FeedbackSmall Business
  You're having a casual conversation with someone from your customer-service department when he makes an offhand statement: "Oh, you should hear how much customers love [fill in employee name/company product]." ...
• It's Not Me, It's YouSmall Business
  Good PR doesn't come cheap, and if you're not seeing results from your agency, it's only natural to consider other options. But before firing your agency, Todd Defren at the ...
• Take the Twit out of TwitterMarketing Inspiration
  In a post at his blog, David Reich recounts the story of a PR executive who wasn't exactly thrilled about traveling to Memphis for a meeting with clients. Unfortunately, the ...
• The Right Way to Join the FraySmall Business
  In a post at the MarketingProfs Daily Fix blog, Mack Collier tells the story of Alison Heath, the director of marketing for a small company that received favorable coverage from ...
• Throw the Curve!Small Business
  In his roles as a successful blogger and an executive at Ogilvy, Rohit Bhargava works on both sides of the public-relations equation. The juxtaposition gives him a unique perspective on ...
• The 411 on 420Marketing Inspiration
  You log on to your computer and discover—splashed across the news section of your homepage—a candid snapshot of your celebrity spokesperson inhaling from an enormous bong. Quick, what do you ...
• Loose Lips: You Know Exactly What They Do to ShipsSmall Business
  Despite the obvious benefits of Web 2.0, the largely unregulated world of social media also poses some unique challenges for companies concerned about a host of issues ranging from legal ...
• Embrace the RebukeMarketing Inspiration
  If you've ever been to Fort Collins, Colorado, you've likely ventured to the outskirts of its historic district to sample popular beers like Fat Tire and 1554 at New Belgium's ...
• We're Corporate! We're Capable! B2B Marketing
  "To get a running start on 2009 projects, yesterday we googled-up some corporate capability brochures to get some ideas," writes Dave J. in a recent B2Blog post. "Immediately, I was ...
• What Does 'Embargo' Mean Again?Marketing Inspiration
  Last year, Chris Anderson of Wired magazine made news with the controversial decision to publish the email addresses of PR practitioners who consistently bombarded him with irrelevant pitches. Now, Michael ...
• So Many Tweets, So Little TimeInteractive Marketing
  You already know why you need to be on Twitter. And if you've taken the leap into the great microblogging beyond, it's likely you've come across some issues: It takes so ...
• Are You Lazy in the Email Department?Small Business
  The informality and low cost of email has changed the way we communicate—but not always for the better. In a post at her Marketing Interactions blog, Ardath Albee reminds us ...

Public Relations: See all 75 quick reads

Public Relations marketing downloads for the busy professional

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Public Relations Daily Chirp for the busy professional

• Know What Happens When You Don't Advertise? Google Knows.
  It's safe to say the first batch of post-dot-com-bubble brands have come into their own. Brands like Google, eBay, and Amazon. The one thing that sets them apart? They became successful without the support of television advertising to help launch them. more
• We Love Eric
  We've seen the power of Twitter's community used for good: spreading vital information during natural disasters, distributing Amber Alerts, and raising money for charities. Now imagine using not only Twitter's power but also the celebrity of the Nine Inch Nails. more
• Marketing Addictionary: 'Badvocate'
  Badvocate: (noun): People who passionately criticize or detract from companies, brands, or products. more
• Get Creative
  We've seen some great creative ads in the past, both online and on television. Now imagine that you could be the brains behind a nationwide ad. Well, Panasonic gives you this opportunity with its Next Generation Talent competition. more
• Roll Your Own: 'Mother of the Year' Video
  If you're a mother, or perhaps you have one, check out this fun promotion by MomsRising.org to celebrate someone you consider "Mother of the Year." more
• Selling Pork in the Age of Swine Flu
  The MarketingProfs customer-service team received an interesting message recently from a pork producer in Mexico. "At this moment we are suffering the worst crisis ever in the national pork industry... [and] we have no further blood to bleed out," wrote Carlos, a pork processor and retailer. He asks: Could marketing help him combat misinformation and unfounded claims about his pork? more