Archive for the ‘JS Communication’ Category

Driving your business includes braking

Aug
27

Written by: Glen Jackson

If you live in Atlanta, the foregone conclusion is you will spend your share of time in the car. My behind-the-wheel time has led me to a takeaway about the public relations role.

Companies that know how to use public relations in tandem with the sales and marketing function understand the dual role of PR. If sales and marketing serves as the engine of a company, the public relations function is that of a brake and an accelerator.

The public relations team advises when a company needs to cool down the “engine” and not head in a certain direction. The best PR counselors see trouble before it arrives and prepare the company for the downside or better yet helps the company avoid it altogether. Applying the brakes is what the seasoned pros in our field do. They understand the importance of planning and timing. They also understand the value of throwing a red flag in a meeting and not being afraid to courageously say, “I would not do that.”

This prowess always earns the trust of the CEO, and it leads to a seat at the table for major company decisions, the ultimate litmus test of respect in our field.

On the flip side, when the big story needs to be told to reach the right audiences, the PR role is that of an accelerator. The foot is now off the brake. The PR team determines the speed of acceleration and focus of direction for the story. They know when to “put the pedal to the metal” and get the news out there. Storytelling is so important in our business. People remember stories and retell them to others. It creates a retelling ripple effect.

The best drivers on the road know when to use the brake and the accelerator. It is instinctive, effortless and natural to everyone around them. In our business, it is important that we do the same when behind the reputational wheel. When we do it right, we earn the respect of the C suite and everyone else.

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Easy strategy for excellence: look up

Aug
23

Written by: Brian Brodrick

Exercise has always cleared my mind. Any good ideas and mental organization that occurs often happens during the 30-90 minutes of exercise I squeeze in most mornings before the world awakens.

This mental nourishment once came solely from a heaping plate of distance running. But after years of fidelity to pounding pavement, my body rebelled. I was forced to embrace the “Runner’s Wheelchair” – more commonly known as the bicycle – for part of my exercise diet.

Cycling in turn has offered freedom and the ability to travel much further – and to the chagrin of my wife – to be gone much longer.

Riding is different than running. A key difference is the temptation to keep your head down. Focus on the white line just ahead, take a glance at the tiny odometer and watch the miles spin away. Grind, push, get it done, and hammer home. Good workout. Mission accomplished.

Not really.

First of all, the joy in riding is often the scenery. Rolling hills, fog-shrouded forests, and moving water. Cattle waking up and roosters crowing. Anticipating and climbing the hill, and enjoying an easy descent.

Secondly, looking down is plain dangerous. Focusing on the white line prevents you from seeing the dead armadillo, the stalking Doberman, or the sleepy driver that can put a bloody end to a once-glorious ride.

The same temptations loom in business. Make the list, get it done, and do it well. The opportunity sits in front of most productive people each day. Many would argue that finishing your list and doing each task well is a good day’s work. But the problems are the same.

First, you miss the scenery: the pride in an intern the first time he works a press event, the first front page hit for a promising colleague, the progress of a mentee against challenging goals, the evolving esprit de corps of a team who grow together to accomplish more as a group than they can individually.

Danger also looms for leaders and professional communicators who focus too tightly on the white line. Leaders must have their eye on the outside world for their clients and their organizations. We must look further ahead than others, projecting around the curve, over the hill, or into the next day’s ride. We must focus on a balanced training program that yields success in terms of people, profit, and philanthropy.

So the next time you work through your list (or the next time you’re exercising), take a deep breath. Look around. Examine the road ahead. Anticipate the curves, the hills, and the years of training to come. Focus on the environment in your office and in your community. Are you considering the true race before your organization?

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Ignore this post to avoid the communications war

Aug
18

Written by: Eric O'Brien

I recently attended a “media relations summit” in NYC.

What’s that? Good question. It was marketed as good place for PR reps to interact with the media, so my main purpose was to meet and build relationships with the 100+ NYC-based reporters in attendance. However, during the course of the day, I found the conference to be an interesting forum on the current state of media/PR and a battleground in the now infamous “new vs old media” war.

Don’t believe me? Check out these juicy quotes from various attendees and panelists:

Is social media "just a modern way of convening at the campfire"?

“PR people are behind the curve and too focused on big, slow and old media outlets.” – Tina Brown, founder and editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast

“We want to be first, but we also want to be right, first.” – a rep from one of the aforementioned big, slow and old media outlets

“Learn, then earn.” – again, a rep from one of the big, slow and old media outlets

“They’re parasites, but parasites that drive traffic” –Wall Street Journal exec on blogs like The Daily Beast and Huffington Post

“Have rich parents or two husbands.” – advice to those thinking of entering journalism

“We don’t need the media to communicate with customers anymore” – panelist from a major, multinational PR firm

“You cannot know nor respond to everyone and everything being said about you and your brand online. Instead, focus on the influentials.” – Pepsi spokesperson

“Social media is the most un-revolutionary idea in the history of communications. It’s back to the future. Just a modern way of convening at the campfire.” – social media panelist

“If your content sucks, people will ignore you.”  – social media panelist

So before you leave this campfire (and ignore this post?), what role does new/old media play in your life? Where is it going? Who knows but it will be a fun ride.

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Feeding Bed Bugs in the Big Easy

Jul
30

Written by: Dana Schmidt

Bed Bug Volunteer

Orkin Technical Director Dr. Ron Harrison places a bed bug on a volunteer's arm.

When people hear “New Orleans,” many things may come to mind – Hurricane Katrina, Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest. But lately, when I have thought of the Big Easy, my mind instantly has drifted to bed bugs.

When I recently touched down in New Orleans I wasn’t headed for Bourbon Street, I was attending the National Apartment Association (NAA) Education Conference. NAA does a lot more than just manage an exhibit hall, they educate. And education is what brought me to the city.

For the past several months I have had the privilege of working with our client Orkin, specifically Technical Director Dr. Ron Harrison, to prepare for a speaking presentation at the Education Conference. While the mainstream public is not regularly exposed to bed bugs, the hospitality and apartment industries are already fed up with these bloodsuckers.

On my only night in New Orleans before the Conference, I enjoyed a Cajun culinary experience – taking in an old restaurant’s architecture, lending an ear to the talented musician playing in the background and savoring my jambalaya. What I didn’t know was that I would soon encounter another city visitor – the dreaded bed bug – enjoying a meal just as much as me.

Dr. Harrison solicited three volunteers from the conference to allow a bed bug to feast on their arms. The pictures with this post are from that feeding session.

As I watched the volunteers I couldn’t help but laugh and realize that when it comes to presenting, there aren’t many rules. But a few guidelines can get a speaker off to the right start and through a topic as quirky as bed bugs.

  1. Be prepared. Familiarizing yourself with a presentation is undoubtedly the most important thing you can do to ensure success. They say “practice makes perfect” because it’s true. I’ve worked with Dr. Harrison on a series of webinars using a similar presentation. Already an engaging speaker, his comfort level was high and he was even able to anticipate questions and reactions from the audience due to our prior run-throughs.
  2. Stand up and project. The PowerPoint might be projected on the screen but is the speaker projecting him or herself? Standing up and having the freedom to move around grabs the attention of the audience. There’s no need to hide behind a podium – use a lavaliere microphone to start moving. Your listeners will see you as more accessible and are more likely to ask questions.
  3. Engage the audience. This seems like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many speakers get wrapped-up in their presentation and forget who they’re talking to. We sprinkled question slides throughout the presentation relating to previous content. These slides allowed the audience to think on their own and participate. The Q&A break was a good time to take similar questions from the audience so they weren’t all saved for the end – a common technique that doesn’t always need to be followed.
  4. Don’t be afraid to tell a joke. Many times speakers feel they need to be formal. Some situations do call for a more buttoned-up approach, so assess your presentation accordingly. But remember that even the President uses this technique, and you can’t get any more formal than that. Dr. Harrison’s comfort with the presentation allowed him to tell a few jokes, which made the audience relaxed and created a safe atmosphere to share and ask questions.
  5. Admit you’re not the expert. I bet you’re wondering where this is going. While a speaker is typically presenting on a topic because they are the given expert, sometimes there might be questions you just don’t know. It’s better to be honest than attempt to address something out of your knowledge base. When detailed questions of litigation arose during the bed bug presentation, Dr. Harrison passed it back to the attendees. As property managers they had direct experience with the issue and could provide tips and information to their colleagues.

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15 Crystal-Clear Truths Learned After 15 Years

Jul
16

Written by: Caroline Duffy

Jackson Spalding celebrated its crystal anniversary–15 years in business– on July 14. Following are some random lessons I’ve learned while watching our company grow.

  1. It’s easier to achieve your vision if you have one on paper. One of the first things we did as a firm was to develop our vision, our mission and our values. It may sound trite, but this document is like a rudder that guides us in virtually all of our decisions. Really.
  2. Once you have a written vision you have to live it. Easier said than done, but this is how you build a culture and a culture brings your brand to life. A lot of companies have great marketing campaigns, but they fail to live up to it in their day-to-day interactions.
  3. Partners trump vendors every time. If clients view their marketing team as partners the relationship will flourish. Likewise, if partners invest in their clients, they will be rewarded. We invested in our relationship with a major corporation when they hit hard times and it has paid off.
  4. Creativity counts. We once clinched a pitch by writing and performing a song for the client. Our competitors who overheard it as they waited in the lobby made a snide comment as we exited. But, we won the business and today this company is our largest client. Two lessons here: don’t be afraid to be different and be a gracious competitor.
  5. Community involvement is the best marketing. Invest your time and talent in organizations that mean something to you. Your passion will pay you back with patronage a few years down the road.
  6. The best PR people don’t always study PR in college. Some of our best and brightest graduated in majors such as Art History, Forestry and Economics. There are many ways to skin this cat we call PR. Diverse perspectives bring clients value.
  7. Luxury brands don’t always have luxury budgets. ’nuff said.
  8. Take care of your employees and they will take care of your customers. We knew this, but when we saw the mantra come to life at one of the top 10 companies to work for in the U.S. it became part of our own DNA. For me, this means the opportunity to work a flex schedule so I can be more involved as a spouse and mother. For others it meant the time to heal from a major illness without worrying about recourse. For still others it is the chance to work virtually from another city instead of looking for a less-satisfying job. I think we all work harder for our clients because of this privilege.
  9. Union bosses are masterful PR people. They know how to work the media and their corporate campaigns are designed to wear down and distract their opponents. If you have a large workforce you’ll benefit by boning up on the union playbook. If you haven’t taken the time to build an internal culture, you better get busy with that.
  10. The truth shall set you free. Despite what the cynics predicted, Ashley Smith, Atlanta’s hostage hero, has put a meth addiction behind her and has built a new life. She is married; has custody of her daughter Paige, will soon have a degree as a radiation technician, and may be the subject of a feature film before too long. In her spare time, she counsels addicts through Celebrate Recovery and inspires audiences as a motivational speaker. God gave her a second chance and she’s taking it.
  11. PR people around the world are a lot alike. I have had the privilege of being active in a global network of the top independent PR firms in the world. From San Paolo to Seattle to Singapore they are some of the best people I know. And, no matter their native tongue, I recently learned that they all can sing-along to Beach Boys tunes in English! The PROI network is far more seamless and connected than the co-branded offices that made up my former global firm.
  12. RFPs are “rarely found productive.” Ask a lot of questions and be sure you have a fighting chance before investing your time and giving away your intellectual property.
  13. Cashing in frequent flyer miles for upgrades is totally worth it. Especially if your business destination is Shanghai. BusinessElite is a rarified world and a great hedge against thrombosis.
  14. Nurture your network. I have been good and bad about this over the years. I’m trying to get back into the “good” column by getting out more and reconnecting with people I care about. If you don’t make time to do it, you will waste away along with this asset.
  15. Time really does fly when you are having fun. I thought 10 years was a record. But now I’ve been here 15 years and my firstborn—the inspiration for my flex schedule—is heading off to college. It must be the fun that has kept my interest. And, the chance to live out a vision.

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Remember where you were in 1995?

Jul
14

Written by: Jackson Spalding

Jackson Spalding was founded in July 1995 with the audacious goal of becoming the most respected and trusted public relations and creative services firm on the planet. We wanted to create a workplace that allowed individuals to flex their entrepreneurial muscle and grow. We had a hunch that if we made our workplace fun, then our team would go the extra mile for our clients.

Today we are 15 years into our goal, and we are pleased with our progress. We are one of the largest independent firms in the country and have been recognized as a “Best Place to Work.” And, several clients (and team members!) have been with us more than a decade. Watch the 2-minute video to learn more about where we began and how we have evolved to meet the needs of our changing world.

Firm Celebrates 15-Year Anniversary

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Cloudy, with a Chance of Crisis

Jun
17

Written by: Megan Jentz

Protest against oil company BP and their still...
Image by Fibonacci Blue via Flickr

As oil company executives were called to testify in front of congress, newscasters were abuzz with the laughable errors in each company’s nearly identical crisis plans. While the Gulf of Mexico is facing an unprecedented environmental disaster, at least we know the walruses would have been safe…had they been there.

But while such errors seem laughable and we may smirk, perhaps it’s really nervous laughter we’re hearing. How many of us watch BP, Toyota and others in the eye of a PR storm – whether or not their own doing – and somewhat breathe a sigh of relief? Well except for those tornado chasing crisis lovers out there (luckily, some of which we have right here at JS).

But even if your company doesn’t experience a crisis on the scale of BP, or any crisis at all, will your competitors? It wasn’t just BP’s executive sitting up there facing the tough questions. The industry as a whole is awash in the ensuing slick of negative attention.

So, where’s your crisis plan? If you have one, is it full of walruses?

As communications counselors we encourage our clients to draft crisis communications plans, but all too often the PR plan turns to the instant gratification of that next media hit or social networking site of the moment. Or if a crisis plan is drafted, it sits for years with contacts and tactics becoming outdated.

Instead of snickering at the oil companies’ faux pas, let’s remember the quiet that always precedes the storm and use that time to plan accordingly. The forecast might be clear right now, but we should keep an umbrella handy.

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Saying goodbye to Coach Wooden

Jun
7

Written by: Glen Jackson

It is difficult to write about Coach John Wooden in the past tense. We lost him last Friday at the age of 99. His record of 10 NCAA basketball championships (seven in a row) as head coach of the UCLA Bruins will never be broken.

John Wooden was not only the greatest college basketball coach of all time, he also was a sage off the court, especially about the tenets of leadership.

Here are some of my favorite life-lesson quotes from Coach Wooden:

“Make each day a masterpiece.”

“Ten hands make a basket.”

“All of life is peaks and valleys. Don”t let the peaks get too high and the valleys too low.”

“Learn as if you were to live forever, live as if you were to die to tomorrow.”

“Little things make big things happen.”

“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?”

The legacy of John Wooden is set in stone. He practiced what he preached. His impact on the business world matched his influene in college sports.

I was recently at a business conference held by one of America’s top brands. Coach Wooden and his leadership principles were referenced countlessly by the presenters.

Recently asked what he would like God to say when he arrived at the pearly gates, Coach Wooden replied, “Well done.”

Well done indeed.

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Talk of brands always misses two of the biggest

May
19

Written by: Randall Kirsch

Whenever the topic of branding comes up – and it obviously comes up a lot in the marketing communications business – big consumer brands tend to be the default topic. Let’s face it, most people outside our industry don’t understand branding that well. I’m not saying they should, I’m just pointing out that non-marketing people tend to correlate brands with logos or brand names, when brands are much more than that.

That said, pretty much every U.S. consumer would agree that Nike, Google, Amazon, Oprah (and even [shameless plug] JS clients like Delta, Orkin and Chick-fil-A) are brands. But no one inside or outside our industry ever seems to talk about what I would argue are two of the – if not the two – biggest brands in the United States.

Let’s test it. Can you name these two organizations?

Difference and emotion – the twin engines of a great brand

I’ll bet you can do more than name them. I would guess you could outline, at least broadly, what each of the organizations stands for, and more importantly, how they are different from each other. That’s the first and most important element of a good brand – clear difference from the competition.

The other element of a great brand is the set of emotions it conjures up. I think we can all agree that, like all good brands, both parties have invested a lot in stoking strong emotional reactions from us. Raise your hand if you saw otherwise close friends get all bent out of shape at each other during last year’s presidential election cycle (or found yourself getting ticked at friends and family).

Don’t buy it. Apply it.

How does this happen? It’s the power of branding. And I would argue that few if any brands possess even a fraction of the same influence. Can you imagine Nike and Reebok manipulating consumers who actually agree on most things into believing they’re fundamentally different at the core?

Sample argument:

“If you don’t understand why the ‘air’ in the sole matters, you’re obviously a Communist.”

OK, I’ll admit that the political parties have the massive advantage of daily “earned media” coverage to work their magic on us that no other corporate brands can claim. But still.

As the November election cycle winds up to fever pitch in the next few months, let’s respect the power of branding. Let’s watch in awe at how much both parties invest in the two prongs of the branding fork – difference and emotion. And finally, let’s agree not to let it blind us, but instead figure out how to put the same principles to work for our own businesses.

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Can we rescue journalism from the smut rut?

Apr
28

Written by: Caroline Duffy

Vanity Fair has decided that we need to be acquainted with Tiger’s Tattletale Women.  The photo feature in the May 2010 edition looks more like Playboy eye-candy than a doctors’ office read.  I don’t give a flip about Tiger Woods, although I must concede he’s a hot news commodity.  I just don’t need this kind of hot staring me down from the grocery store shelf.  He’s been to therapy, the Masters are over, so enough already. Can’t we avoid giving his call girls a celebrity launching pad? I guess when they told us to write to a 13-year-old audience in journalism school that this is what they meant.  Geez.  I thought Vanity Fair was a bit more high-brow.

Meanwhile, Entertainment Tonight is airing installments from Hector, the baseball coach, who is claiming a recent affair with Larry King’s wife, Shawn.  I have a hard time imagining that little league baseball or even Larry King are truly entertainment, but hey, it’s a 24-7 news cycle and it begs to be fed.  And Hector probably is hoping for a modeling job.  I doubt that he’s still coaching the young King boys on their batting technique.

In March we had a parade of stories detailing the colorful body shop hook-ups of Jesse James, Sandra Bullock’s husband.  I still haven’t gotten used to the idea of him as a real celebrity and now his freak-showesque harem is vying for the microphone.  I smell a few book deals underneath all that ink.  And, maybe another Oscar nod for Sandy.

A few months ago it was impossible to avoid the news trickle about Rielle Hunter (nee Lisa Jo Druck) who destroyed John Edwards’ marriage and political career with the introduction of baby Quinn. Riellly, do we need all the details?  Does Elizabeth deserve this embarrassment?  Do we have to know about the videotape?

And, Eliot Spitzer is back in the news now that his New York Madam has announced she’s running for governor on the Libertarian ticket with a pitch to legalize prostitution. I can only imagine the campaign parties.

It seems the truth is stranger than fiction these days.  I thought the news was supposed to be about things that rarely happen.  I think that calls for some stories about happy-ever-afters among regular folks from Iowa.

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