REICH COMMUNICATIONS

It's More Than a Job

 

I'm writing this on a plane returning home from Orlando, where I participated in the 30th annual Lifesavers Conference.

What is Lifesavers?  It's one of the premier national highway safety meetings in the U.S. that is  dedicated to reducing the tragic toll of deaths and injuries on our nation’s roadways. More than 2,000 people attended, representing Federal and state agencies, state and local police, for-profit and non-profit advocacy groups like AAA and MADD, healthcare organizations.

Why was I there?  I was representing one of my clients, the National Road Safety Foundation, which produces traffic safety education materials aimed at teens and distributes them free to schools, educators, police, health groups and directly to teens through groups like SADD.

The luncheon speaker Friday was David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (for which I also do media relations work in the metro New York area).  Before being appointed as NHTSA Administrator, David had worked as a legislative aide and advisor in Washington and he had some involvement in traffic safety-related initiatives.

But, he told us, when he became the head of NHTSA he began learning firsthand of the terrible annual toll of traffic crashes -- so many of them preventable.  He heard many personal stories of families devastated by crashes -- people who may go on with their lives, although their lives will never be the same.

And David Strickland told us how this job has become so much more than a job to him.  It's become a personal passion and a commitment to save lives and prevent heartbreak from traffic crashes. 

I'm sure many of the people in the audience felt that same way.  I know I do. 

Of course, for those of us who get paid to do what we do -- whether the cop who is assigned to talk to kids in schools about the dangers of drinking and driving, or the hospital community relations person who takes similar messages into his or her community, or the people at state highway safety offices who use engineering, laws and enforcement to make our roads safer -- it's a job.  But I know, from personal experience, that the work they do is about so much more than a pay check.  We've seen the results of crashes; we've spoken with families who lost sons, daughters, brothers and sisters and parents. 

Some of those families work to help others avoid the type of loss they've suffered.  They do it, some of them, as a way to get past the pain and to make some sense of their loss.  They are strong people.  And when you get to know some of these people, it's hard to remain distant and disconnected from this work.

Those of us who are paid to do what we do can't help but feel a special sense of purpose.

As David Strickland told us, he sees it as "a calling."

I think he's right and I feel fortunate that my work has brought me into the world of traffic safety advocacy.  I thank the National Road Safety Foundation and NHTSA for getting me involved.  It's good work.  It's more than a job.     

 

Newspaper challenge... print vs. online

 

I think it's ironic that the same day we hear about The New Orleans Times-Picayune laying off half of its newsroom staff while the Birmingham News fired 60 percent of its journalists, MediaLife reports on a survey that says many believe it will years, if ever, before newspapers go entirely online.

The example of the Times-Picayune going online and dropping to three print editions a week is not typical of the direction papers will take, say media buyers and planners surveyed by MediaLife.

Buyers were asked how many years, if ever, before papers will go entirely online and drop print.  Twenty-five percent said it will never happen; print will always be around.  

But 15 percent said the change will happen with five years; 25 percent said within 7 years, and another 25 percent said 10 years. 

A lot can happen, of course, in five or ten years that could alter the speed or totality of a move to digital and away from print.  How many of us would have thought, only five years ago, we'd be reading the paper on our cellphones?

The survey also asked how newspapers can remain relevant to readers.  The overwhelming response was to concentrate on local reporting and investigative journalism.  The challenge will be providing good local coverage and analysis with increasingly smaller news staff.  That sounds like a tough one to me.

I think print will remain relevant from an advertiser's point of view for a while -- even if not on a seven-days-a-week basis.  Retail advertisers, for example, may find it hard to gain readers' attention online that display ads in print can generate for their offerings.  We've learned to ignore banners, pop-ups and moving images on our screens, but it's hard to miss great full-page display ads or inserts in print.

So even as we see more newspapers moving all their content online while cutting reporting staff and trimming their print publishing schedules, I think (and hope and pray) we'll continue to see newspapers on the printed page for a long time.  Three or four days of flipping the pages of a real newspaper is better than none.

 

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Weekend Thoughts .. Butt Call

 

In addition to convenience and the ability to do things we never could have imagined, technology has given us new words and phrases.  Every year or two, the Webster Dictionary folks officially add new words to the dictionary.  The AP and New York Times recently added new items to their style books, many of them springing from new technology.  Cellphone, for example, recently became a single word.

Here's another one that should be added -- butt call.

Unlike "booty call," a butt call happens when you mistakenly make a call on your cellphone by bumping your phone in your pocket or purse, causing it to call the last number dialed.  I get a few butt calls every week -- most of them from my wife and from my friend and co-worker Bambe.

If you've received them, you know how annoying butt calls can be.  You answer and then you end up saying, a few times, hello -- with no answer.  Sometimes you'll hear swishing noises from muffled street sounds and conversation. 

Butt calls can be more than an annoyance.  The NYPD recently reported that nearly 40 percent of the calls to 911 in a recent month were unintentional butt calls.  Toronto reported similar statistics.

In the car yesterday with my wife, she got a text from our daughter.  It read: "Another butt call from you. I must get at least one day from you."

A few minutes later, another text came through from her.  It said: "Another butt call from Gram?  Jack (our 6-year old grandson) says Gram has to get control of her butt."

Technology!  Kids!  Gotta love 'em both.

 

 

So exactly what IS Public Relations?

 

What is Public Relations?  It's a question I've been asked frequently throughout my nearly 40-year career in this profession.  

Now that we have a definition (sort of) from PRSA, there's an official description of what we do.  But there are still so many misconceptions about PR -- what it is, what we do and how we do it, and even things we can't (or shouldn't) do.  I sometimes hear these misconceptions when speaking with new or prospective clients.  

    "Who do you know in the media, so you can get me coverage?"

    "I know we've done something bad, but how can you 'spin it' so it looks good?"

    "I have a great new widget.  Throw me a fancy press party so     it'll get covered."

.... and so on.

Ragan's PR Daily had a story yesterday titled ‘PR is all about party planning’—and other misconceptions.  It's worth a quick read, even though it's a bit shallow. 

One of the misconceptions it points out is the idea that all we do is throw great parties and mix with celebrities.  If you work in entertainment PR, that may be partly accurate, although it doesn't give you the downside.  A good friend of mine was one of the top entertainment publicists out in Hollywood.  She got to meet celebs, but at what price?  She hated working the red carpets because of the intense pressure.  And many (not all) celebs treat PR people like dirt -- "get me this" and  "I want that- NOW!"  They're not your pals and they probably don't even know your name.

Another misconception is that we "spin" the news.  I hate that word spin.  A good PR person doesn't spin, but instead tries to present information accurately from the client's perspective.  We shouldn't lie, omit or cover up.  If we do, the media is likely to find out and then we lose whatever credibility we may have had.  PR people in politics talk about spin all the time, and just look at how much we trust politicians.  TV shows like "Scandal" on ABC, as entertaining as they may be, don't do justice to how PR people really work.  

The PR Daily piece quotes Matt Ragas, an assistant professor in the college of communication at DePaul University, who says many of his students hold misconceptions about the PR field, but from an outsider’s perspective it makes sense.

“Party planning and working with celebrities and the media seems exciting and fast-paced,” he said. “Do you really want to get into a field that is boring and staid?”

Students in his courses quickly grasp the reality of the profession. He helps them realize, for example, that party planning is just one tactic in the PR professional’s arsenal (one that requires lots of work, said Ragas).

“Students are generally open-minded about the possibilities and excited to learn out the depth and breadth of the field beyond what they see on TV,” he added. And he says they shouldn’t get bored with the profession. “Public relations has grown so specialized that I tell students there is likely a [niche] that matches their interest and passions with their communication skill set and training.”

For years, I've been calling for a "PR for PR" campaign, which should be organized and implemented by the trade association that represents us - the PRSA.  As experts in communications and opinion-building, we should be able to inform the public -- and especially marketers, corporate and organization leaders, and young people looking to enter the PR field -- what Public Relations is, how it works, and -- just as importantly -- what it doesn't or can't or shouldn't do.

Unfortunately, I doubt PRSA will take on this challenge, since it hasn't been a particularly useful group for many years.  But I would love to be proven wrong.  Until then, it's up to those of us in the field to try to patiently explain away the misconceptions.