Strategic Public Relations

The Economic Eye

One of my bosses taught me to use my "economic eye" when creating pitching strategies. Ask yourself, "how does this story impact the business world?" If you cannot answer the question, you either need to read up on current events or revisit the pitch.

There is plenty of good news right now for us marketing types. The advertising industry is recovering and there are still plenty of good examples of marketing.

Take Krispy Kreme for example. Fortune details how something as simple as a doughnut has exploded into a profitable stock and uber-brand. How? NO advertising. Word of mouth, product placement and loyal fans have placed Krispy Kreme at the top.

A colleague once told me "doughnuts make you smarter." Well, studying Krispy Kreme's marketing strategy just might do so.

Brand Icon (Brand Daddy?) P&G always provides a great read on what's new in marketing. Its CEOs are challenged with extending a storied path of innovation while growing an already leviathan company. Businessweek discusses how its latest CEO is reinventing the marketing legend.

Blog Ubiquity

There have been too many blog articles not saying enough lately. It was a relief to see some substantive news on our flavor of the month.

Poynter.org's Steve Outing discusses the use of mobile phones to update your blog. Blogger has offered Audio Blogger since February of this year. Outing, however, details the use of mobile picture phones to do the updating. This gives you the ability to throw audio, video and images onto your blog—from anywhere. This innovation opens the door to even more creative and inspired blog use.

Freedom of speech is an inspired use for blogs and Outing also notes the rise of blogs based in Iran. Iranian youths are expressing themselves, protesting and giving us "a glimpse at the rising cultural turmoil in Iran."

Ink Adds Up

In its latest issue, Forbes gives public relations an interesting nod (more accurately it gives publicity a nod vs. full-blown public relations). In creating its list "The Celebrity 100," Forbes combines annual earning power with celebrities' media hits.

Jennifer Anniston tops the list—because she graces more magazine covers than any other star. She beats out the likes of Oprah (#8 with $180 million) and Steven Spielberg (#4 with $200 million). Anniston earns about $35 million.

The list is an example of what media relations can do—it's some pretty powerful stuff.

Integrated Success Stories

BtoB magazine just did a special report on successful integrated marketing campaigns in the business to business arena. A campaign for one of my clients, AK Steel, was chosen along with work from IBM, Microsoft and Emerson. Check it out.

She Speaks. Finally.

As if on cue, Martha has launched a Web site appropriately titled, Martha Talks. A full-page ad in this morning's USA Today drives readers to the site and allows her to state her case.

She is finally establishing communication with the outside world. And it's a good thing. As we all know, if you do not communicate your side of the story, the media will be more than happy to make assumptions on your behalf.

Is Martha's Other Shoe Dropping?

A year and a half after ImClone, it looks like the Feds are getting ready to indict Martha Stewart.

It is interesting to note the challenge it presents her company in moving forward:

"Sales at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia have suffered since Stewart's trouble began. The company lost money in its first quarter, reflecting weak advertising at its flagship magazine, weaker-than-promised sales at retailer Kmart Corp. and Stewart's legal problems.

Adams Harkness & Hill analyst Laura Richardson said the company faces competition on several fronts. That means that simply firing Stewart and changing the company's name won't be enough to solve its problems, she said.

"There are three sides of the company -- the personality side, the creative side and the advertising side," said Richardson. "If you change the personality without changing the creative side, that's not good for the company."

What will MSLO's strategy be moving forward? Changes are clearly afoot for the communications empire which gets 62 percent of its revenue from publishing. And as discussed about a year and a half ago in SPR, Martha's silence strategy continues.