The Leading Lady of PR

Since beginning my Master's earlier this Fall I have become somewhat obsessed with research in the field of communications. Recently I've been finding myself doing mini literature reviews purely out of interest. Last week I was all about lifestyle branding and consumer marketing.

I stumbled upon a gem in the Journal of Public Relations that left me feeling inspired. The researcher preformed in-depth interviews to construct a story of Charlotte Klein's career in PR. This method of research is called a narrative study. In case you haven’t heard of Klein until now, she can be described as the “Leading Lady of Public Relations” in a time when the industry was in its early stages and was dominated by men.

The purpose of the paper is as follows: to document and contribute to the knowledge of a rich but little documented era in public relations history and records successful strategies that remain relevant to practitioners today.

Klein gained a lot of recognition for her big ideas. Here are some highlights:

• During the 40’s, before television, special events were used to get word and name recognition for one's clients. In order to get attention for one of her Hollywood clients, Klein orchestrated a PR stunt where students were instructed to hold up placards to spell the name of her client’s upcoming movie “Duel In the Sun” during a rivalry football game between UCLA and USC. She then interested a LIFE Magazine photographer in snapping the photo, which ran nationwide.

•  Klein also had an idea for an early form of product placement. She was assigned to promote the 1948 movie ―Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. In those days, in the hotels, bellboys would shout the name of a person who had a telephone call.  So she suggested that her firm call different hotels at dinner time and other times and ask for Blandings.  So all throughout the city they were paging the character in her movie around the time that the movie was opening.

• In the 1950’s African American girls had to play with white dolls because there were no black dolls available on the market. Klein worked with a number of famous African Americans to come up with a natural looking complexion for the black doll. Her client, Ideal Toy Corporation, didn't want to process with the doll‘s production because he believed that the target audience would not have the money to purchase it.  However, Klein persisted and convinced the client by saying she could obtain a lot of good publicity. Not only did she get a lot of positive coverage, but the doll was very popular.

• Klein used a former U.S. Olympic swimming champion, as the model and media tour spokesperson for their client‘s novel washable leather gloves.  She brought in television cameras to film the former Olympian swimming in a hotel pool in the morning with her gloves on, then had the media back for tea later in the day when the model wore the same gloves, now dry.

Genius!

Networking Challenge: The Informational Interview

Networking is an important part of professional development. I’ve decided to add informational interviews to my networking mix. If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking something along the lines of: “Can I really do this? Asking someone to meet me for an informational interview sounds intimidating!”

However, it’s important to focus on the many benefits of informational interviews, especially if you don’t yet have an established network. The point of this interview is not to ask for a job, but to gain perspective on an industry or company from someone whose career path you find impressive. Informational interview=Information gathering. However, this interview may eventually lead to a job so it is important that you are well prepared.

Where to begin?

1. You’ll want to come up with a list of people who you would like to speak with: someone you know, a friend of a friend or someone you’ve seen on LinkedIn.

2. Contact the person you would like to interview and ask them if they would be interested in meeting you for a short informational interview over coffee. More likely than not, the person is going to be flattered that you value what they have to say.

3. Do your research. It's wise to read the person’s bio prior to the meeting. This way you’ll get a better idea of their work history and accomplishments. I also recommend providing your resume to the person so they can have a good idea of your professional history.

4. Come up with a few questions that you’re going to ask. Here are some example:

·         How did you get into Public Relations? What is your advice for breaking into the industry?

·         How did you get to the position you’re in today? Do you have any advice on career advancement?

·         What projects/accounts are you working on at the moment?

·         What do you like most and least about working in PR?

5. Follow up. Show your appreciation by sending your new contact a thank you note.

Do you have an informational interview success story?

Why is measurement important in PR?

Yesterday I attended a #cision webinar about communication measurement, one of my favourite topics and a crucial component of strategic planning. Measurement enables communicators to quantify the fruit of our labour and gives use the information we need to demonstrate our value (and toot our own horn). Beep beep!

PR activities are necessary if a company wants to survive in today’s competitive market. However, demonstrating a clear return on investment (ROI) is challenging for many communicators because the impact doesn’t have a direct monetary value. How can we measure the value of our relationships with media? A mention in the Globe and Mail? The ability to change perceptions that can potentially damage brand reputation?

The communicators at Microsoft suggest comparing the effectiveness of communications outcomes against the goals of the company. They used a tool called PRIME research to combine measures of advocacy and influence.

In my opinion the most valuable part of the webinar was when Microsoft shared its top lessons regarding their experience with measurement:

1-Educate and evangelize constantly
Ongoing education is  must because of turnover rates. They couldn’t assume that people know their PRIME score.

2-Always bring value with insights and analysis
Don’t just send out a report that flushes numbers explain what they mean and their value.

3-Communicate context – more than a score
Make sure to explain the variables and long term trends.

4-Share best practices to build confidence.

5-Involve all stockholders
Build common framework instead of a patch work of practices

How does your organization measure PR activities? Have you used PRIME or any other PR measurement tools?

Dear Diary

Dear Diary… I haven’t written those words since Junior High. Lately I've been thinking about getting myself a fancy notebook and start journaling again. This time around my entries will focus on career management instead of my weekly crush, it won't be bright pink with a lock and the heart shaped doodles will be replaced by checklists.

I'm referring to the career development journal, also known as a work diary. For some, career journaling is a way of figuring out a direction. This is probably why it's often used in MBA programs. As I’ve said in the past, I’m still trying to figure out a direction when it comes to my career.  In fact, many young professionals graduate University with a lack of direction. This isn’t surprising.  I am part of a generation who has been promised that we can do to anything. Anything…that’s a lot of options!

The career journal can benefit young professionals in many ways. It can help you keep track of your goals and record your progress; it can help you figure out what aspects of your work makes you happy and; it can give you a better understanding of your professional growth.

Need some inspiration? Career expert Dr. Randall S. Hansen lists several types of entries that are typically recorded in a career journal:

• Keeping track of your daily career-related achievements, progress
• Discovering and exploring your workplace values
• Writing a personal mission statement
• Preparing a SWOT (strengths-weakness-opportunities-threats) analysis
• Expressing your reactions to job and career success and failures
• Practicing job interview questions - and answers
• Gathering salary information; conducting salary research

Do you have a career journal? Have you ever thought of starting one?