by Tony Shelton, Shelton & Caudle
Crisis communication is not just for big companies anymore. More than ever, it seems, there is such a thing as bad publicity for the famous.
So what’s a publicist to do? According to a recent report in Newsweek, get into “crisis publicity.” Think Britney Spears, Michael Richards, Don Imus and Isaiah Washington.
And they may soon have company.
On the same page as the interview with a celebrity publicist, there is a larger story about Raffaello Follieri, the now-former boyfriend of movie star Anne Hathaway. It seems he’s been arrested following some questionable real estate deals.
Hathaway reportedly dumped Follieri in June, after several negative media stories about him. Was it soon enough to keep from tarnishing her image? Maybe.
Newsweek quotes a spokesperson for Hathaway as saying, “’It’s unlikely we will ever comment.”
If Follieri goes to trial and it appears Hathaway either lost money in his schemes or introduced him to people who were later duped, the spotlight may return to the relationship between the two.
Hathaway may have to rethink the “no comment” from her publicist. If she doesn’t tell her side of the story, it’s likely somebody else will.
Tony Shelton is the President of Shelton & Caudle Communication Training & Crisis Counsel, a division of Vollmer Public Relations.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Check Your Pulse
by India Chumney-Hancock, VOLLMER Houston
The Healthcare industry can be confusing and competitive for even the most sophisticated companies with everyone from hospitals, physicians, and payors to consulting and technology companies trying to break through the clutter. How does a company compete for coverage and market share with industry giants?
Know industry trends and keep up with legislative issues. These are the two things that even the smallest healthcare organization can use to their advantage. The market is an opportunity, rather than a battle for share or dominance. So many clients focus their attention on what the competition is doing rather than focusing on positioning themselves as thought leaders. It’s the company that focuses on innovative solutions to the healthcare crisis that gets noticed.
So how do you turn the issue of Medicare and physician reimbursement into something people care about – focus on the patient and the care the physician is able to provide to that patient. Educate the media on the medical home concept and introduce them to the company and physicians that live by that model rather than those that see it as a pilot program. How do you address the new IRS regulations for community benefit and charity care – help a tax-exempt hospital tell its story and show that this is not something new, but something that is at the core of the organizations’ mission.
The more a healthcare company is willing to step up and quickly respond to current events and latest research the more successful it will be in growing and increasing awareness. The most important tool to public relations success is to stop comparing yourself to the biggest players in the market, and focus on what differentiates the company from the competition. The differentiator may not be the most profitable side of your business, but the halo effect can do wonders to a company’s perception and position you as the dominate player in the market.
I’m a healthcare junkie. I keep up with the trends, read industry books for pleasure, and save healthcare articles that I read on vacation so that I can contact the reporter when I return to work. Why? Because I believe that everyone has a story to tell and the more people understand the healthcare industry the closer we will come to finding a solution.
Healthcare is about collaboration and identifying solutions that meet the underlying goal of all healthcare providers – access to quality care for patients. Healthcare is evolving every day be it technology, reimbursement, information sharing or the latest procedures. The company that invests in an advocate who is identifying ways to put that company in front of its key stakeholders is the company that will be seen as the industry leader. People are looking for someone to explain and lead them in the ever changing, complex world of medicine. Check your company’s pulse. Are you ready to take the lead?
The Healthcare industry can be confusing and competitive for even the most sophisticated companies with everyone from hospitals, physicians, and payors to consulting and technology companies trying to break through the clutter. How does a company compete for coverage and market share with industry giants?
Know industry trends and keep up with legislative issues. These are the two things that even the smallest healthcare organization can use to their advantage. The market is an opportunity, rather than a battle for share or dominance. So many clients focus their attention on what the competition is doing rather than focusing on positioning themselves as thought leaders. It’s the company that focuses on innovative solutions to the healthcare crisis that gets noticed.
So how do you turn the issue of Medicare and physician reimbursement into something people care about – focus on the patient and the care the physician is able to provide to that patient. Educate the media on the medical home concept and introduce them to the company and physicians that live by that model rather than those that see it as a pilot program. How do you address the new IRS regulations for community benefit and charity care – help a tax-exempt hospital tell its story and show that this is not something new, but something that is at the core of the organizations’ mission.
The more a healthcare company is willing to step up and quickly respond to current events and latest research the more successful it will be in growing and increasing awareness. The most important tool to public relations success is to stop comparing yourself to the biggest players in the market, and focus on what differentiates the company from the competition. The differentiator may not be the most profitable side of your business, but the halo effect can do wonders to a company’s perception and position you as the dominate player in the market.
I’m a healthcare junkie. I keep up with the trends, read industry books for pleasure, and save healthcare articles that I read on vacation so that I can contact the reporter when I return to work. Why? Because I believe that everyone has a story to tell and the more people understand the healthcare industry the closer we will come to finding a solution.
Healthcare is about collaboration and identifying solutions that meet the underlying goal of all healthcare providers – access to quality care for patients. Healthcare is evolving every day be it technology, reimbursement, information sharing or the latest procedures. The company that invests in an advocate who is identifying ways to put that company in front of its key stakeholders is the company that will be seen as the industry leader. People are looking for someone to explain and lead them in the ever changing, complex world of medicine. Check your company’s pulse. Are you ready to take the lead?
To Blog or Not to Blog: Creating a Corporate Blog
by Mary Kate Smither, VOLLMER Dallas
Developing a blog can be a great asset to any company or organization if implemented and used correctly. For example, a corporate blog can provide a great tool for interacting with customers to discover their feedback and learn about their interests, likes and, yes, even dislikes about your company. A blog allows for open and honest communication on a more personal level that, over time, can foster deeper relationships with target audiences, build a trust bank and lead to development of stronger customer offerings that may positively affect the bottom line.
When deciding whether or not to blog, there are a few key questions to keep in mind. Because blogging is very conversational, are you prepared to step away from a strict corporate persona and use your own voice to engage with your target audiences? Are you willing to write regularly – at least weekly – to keep the blog current and relevant? Are you prepared to accept feedback from both your fans and your critics, and to listen to and respond to these audiences equally? Does your blog offer information and advice that readers can put to use and that cannot be found easily elsewhere? If you can answer yes to these questions while also understanding the goals of your blogging, whether to sell more widgets, interact with customers or just build awareness about your company, then developing a corporate blog can definitely be a good option.
Developing a blog can be a great asset to any company or organization if implemented and used correctly. For example, a corporate blog can provide a great tool for interacting with customers to discover their feedback and learn about their interests, likes and, yes, even dislikes about your company. A blog allows for open and honest communication on a more personal level that, over time, can foster deeper relationships with target audiences, build a trust bank and lead to development of stronger customer offerings that may positively affect the bottom line.
When deciding whether or not to blog, there are a few key questions to keep in mind. Because blogging is very conversational, are you prepared to step away from a strict corporate persona and use your own voice to engage with your target audiences? Are you willing to write regularly – at least weekly – to keep the blog current and relevant? Are you prepared to accept feedback from both your fans and your critics, and to listen to and respond to these audiences equally? Does your blog offer information and advice that readers can put to use and that cannot be found easily elsewhere? If you can answer yes to these questions while also understanding the goals of your blogging, whether to sell more widgets, interact with customers or just build awareness about your company, then developing a corporate blog can definitely be a good option.
Parlez Vous Engineereze?
by Kiska Workman, VOLLMER Houston
Sure, valves, compressors, forklifts and pipelines aren’t glamorous, but who knew these topics could be so darn interesting?
As public relations professionals, it’s all about finding the story and sometimes in the world of B2B communications, you have to speak “engineereze” to get there.
Now you won’t find this term in the dictionary, nor has it been recognized as a new language – at least not yet! However, at VOLLMER, we’ve not only coined the phrase, but we’ve also become fluent in “engineereze”.
Our job is to work with B2B and energy clients to find the story that people will care about. You just have to know how to ask the right questions to get to the core of what’s important to the news media. To find the story, we talk to the person who knows the products, projects and industry best – the engineers – and we always come back with an arsenal of ideas.
The part of this that never gets old is the fact that the topics we uncover are always topics and issues the company is dealing with everyday – it just never occurred to them that someone else might also care.
Time after time, we start with clients that say “we are just an XYZ company – there isn’t much to say, no one really cares” – and end with those same clients being featured in mainstream media such as The New York Times, Houston Chronicle, Wall Street Journal and Forbes…to name a few.
Just remember, your company’s stories are often hidden in the most unlikely places – so brush-up on your engineereze and let us help you find – and tell – your company’s story!
Sure, valves, compressors, forklifts and pipelines aren’t glamorous, but who knew these topics could be so darn interesting?
As public relations professionals, it’s all about finding the story and sometimes in the world of B2B communications, you have to speak “engineereze” to get there.
Now you won’t find this term in the dictionary, nor has it been recognized as a new language – at least not yet! However, at VOLLMER, we’ve not only coined the phrase, but we’ve also become fluent in “engineereze”.
Our job is to work with B2B and energy clients to find the story that people will care about. You just have to know how to ask the right questions to get to the core of what’s important to the news media. To find the story, we talk to the person who knows the products, projects and industry best – the engineers – and we always come back with an arsenal of ideas.
The part of this that never gets old is the fact that the topics we uncover are always topics and issues the company is dealing with everyday – it just never occurred to them that someone else might also care.
Time after time, we start with clients that say “we are just an XYZ company – there isn’t much to say, no one really cares” – and end with those same clients being featured in mainstream media such as The New York Times, Houston Chronicle, Wall Street Journal and Forbes…to name a few.
Just remember, your company’s stories are often hidden in the most unlikely places – so brush-up on your engineereze and let us help you find – and tell – your company’s story!
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