Media Relations
Synopsis of the topic
From 1970s, business coverage in the media started to change. The private sector has become much more public because the public realized that business had a tremendous effect on their lives.
“Getting lots of ink” means lots of articles written about the company.
Building better relations with the media implies conducting research for targeting media: Press releases are overused by public relations executives, organization should reserve mass-mailed releases for stories that they are sure will have a wide audience. Find out who the right journalists are for a given story is what works better. Then it implies responding to media calls, preparing for media interviews, gauging success, and maintaining ongoing relationships.
To build a successful media relations program, companies must involve media relations personnel in strategy, develop in-house capabilities, and use outside counsel sparingly (ask them to create press or video releases).
Developing an online media strategy involve extending company’s media relations to the blogosphere (take blogs seriously, act fast, do not dismiss requests for interviews and information from bloggers), and handling negative news effectively (contact lawyers if needed).
Personal example
I remember the scandal when the French President walks out of an interview with US CBS television news show 60 Minutes. Lesley Stahl made the mistake of asking Nicolas Sarkozy about his wife Cecilia, repeatedly, which Nicolas saw as disrespectful, so he abruptly ended the 60 Minutes interview. It illustrates a big mistake of the person in charge of the media relations for Nicolas Sarkozy. He should have made sure that any personal subjects will be getting onto and prepare Nicolas Sarkozy for this kind of questions.
NewsGuy2005, (2005), Sarkozy Walks Out On 60 Minutes, [video], YouTube, URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkapbaK32PM
Additional resources
- Here is a website in charge of coordinating the media relations of Kellogg’s company:
http://kelloggs.mediaroom.com/
- Charlene Li, (2007), New ROI of blogging report from Forrester, [www page], Groundswell, URL: http://blogs.forrester.com/charleneli/2007/01/new_roi_of_blog.html
- Paul Gillin, (2008), New Media, New Influencers, and Implications for Public Relations Profession, [pdf], Journal of New Communication Research, Vol 2, URL: http://www.instituteforpr.org/files/uploads/NewInfluencer.pdf
