The Wake Up Call series drew over 40 attendees last January 21 at Borders Books, Music and Café as Michael Cherenson of The Cherenson Group extolled the merits of public relations over advertising.

Michael Cherenson

Public relations, he said, is building a relationship with publics, no matter whether the audiences are the general public, internal, trade, government or political entities.

PR builds morale, but more than that, he emphasized, “It builds credibility. When the media pick up a story idea and run with it, it creates trust and validity far better than advertising, which is controlled by the purchaser of space or time. It’s less expensive, too,” he added.

He revealed that 96% of CEOs believe reputation is important and that 77% feel that good reputation sells product. So what better way to build a reputation than through PR?

A deluge of press releases, Cherenson pointed out, is not necessarily bad; rather each one “is important, a drop of water that ultimately makes a tidal wave.”

Build that good reputation through good press, he said, listing specific ways to accomplish this feat.

1. Be a student of the game.
2. Read the publications you are sending releases to.
3. Deal with only one person at a time (if it’s a feature story).
4. Say no — this won’t work.
5. Have a clear expectation.
6. Use the inverted pyramid.
7. Write well.
8. Make the message consistent.
9. Make the client the authority the media call for answers.

If you can, he added, “conduct your own primary research, then use it in releases featuring your client. Become a credible source for reporters. If you screw a reporter once,” he said, “you’re out of his/her Rolodex.”
Do things that make news, he said, referring to cause-related marketing. Attach your client to a cause to cure a certain disease, to a worthy fund-raising event, to a popular pastime.
Make it easy for reporters, he cautioned. Never send unsolicited photographs and always put an e-mail release in the message proper. (This due to the high rate of viruses from Internet attachments.)
And, finally, Mike Cherenson addressed the issue of what to do in a crisis, bringing up the Tylenol case where Johnson & Johnson pulled every bottle of Tylenol off the shelves after cyanide had been found in several bottles. Tell the truth. Be proactive, not reactive. Exxon is still fighting the suits from the Valdez spill over ten years ago.
Above all, he concluded, adopt ethical principles, localize your message, enlist third-party support, find a good spokesperson (not the PR practitioner), address tough questions.

March 31 next Wake-Up Call
The next Wake-Up Call event is set for March 31 at Borders Books, Music and Café in Livingston. Speaker is William Trembath, a freelance direct advertising consultant. Be there at 8:00 am for a lively talk, “The Seven Secrets of Maximum Creativity.”

Jackie Ashford and Sheri Shafir