Perhaps the most difficult concept for those new to PR to fully understand is that an effective public relations campaign is a gradual building process. It is the most effective and powerful form of marketing. It offers validation, credibility, reaches your target market. But, seldom does it happen overnight and to be honest, there are often real pitfalls to campaigns that move too quickly. A gradual sustained build that offers a cohesive story and establishes a brand is the best approach. When launching a public relations campaign keep the following in mind: You need to define your stories....

You have to have been living in a cave to realize that times are really tough. And, if you subscribe to the thinking that it’s better to be out there reminding people that you are still around, rather than hide your head in the sand and hope that this whole financial crisis thing will go away, you’re on the right track. But, since times are tough, how can you get the best value for money for your marketing communication dollar. Well, let’s look at some practical tips to help you get more bang for your advertising (communication) dollar. The best marketing communication method...

I turned on the television news recently to learn that one of our top football teams may have lost an important match because of illness, the story being brought to us by a reporter stationed outside the hotel where the players enjoyed lunch prior to the game. In the car, this was the lead story on the radio news with the story read by a reporter, again said to be outside the hotel. He confirmed that the Police had collected samples from the restaurant to pass onto the health authorities. Guess what? The story was also the lead in the tabloid newspapers sat on my desk when I reached the office....

Sometimes I feel bad for on-air TV personalities, because if you’re on television regularly for any length of time, you’re going to screw up. It’s inevitable. It’s the law of averages, and when you do, YouTube will be sure to archive it for future generations. The Internet is stockpiled with videos of show hosts forgetting the camera was on, dropping four-letter words and losing it when heckled by onlookers off camera. The same is true with public relations, because we’re not immune to gaffs, and neither are our clients. One of my staff likes to tell the story of...