Hi all,
We have now moved our blog to our website so it is now incorporated into www.seventyninepr.co.uk so we can manage it much more easily.
So, dont despair, simply visit
http://www.seventyninepr.co.uk/blog
Thank you.
Anas
Wednesday, 22 December 2010
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Top tips for UK PR and Marketing agencies/people on how to market to the ethnic consumer
MARKETING TO THE ETHNIC MINORTIES IN THE UK
Top tips and insight by 79pr.co.uk
OK. So what is it? Is it language? Is it culture? Is it religion?
All key questions that marketeers ask themselves when trying to understand how to market to the UK's diverse ethnic population. (I focus on UK for this blog, but the same lessons and tips can be used in the US).
The truth of the matter lies in all of them. Read on.
79PR has helped a number of business make the crossover to help them market to the brown pound. In fact, we have helped launched two major brands directly marketing to the ethnic crowd. Both very different businesses, both used different tactics. But, before I carry on let me talk to you about working with ethnic businesses on their PR and Marketing campaigns. In fact, I won't. Because I'll blog about in detail as my next post.
Anyway, getting back to the subject at hand. For this blog I will be looking at the brown consumer. So anyone in the UK that we term British Asian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Asian). India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh etc etc.
Before I begin, many marketeers may ask themselves why they need to understand this market? Well, unless you have been walking with a bag over your head on the streets of UK today, the answer is pretty obvious. Just as ignoring digital media is to your peril, the same is true of the ethnic market. Put very simply - it's a very lucrative market. To be a completely rounded marketer you have to be able to sit and tell your clients about the make-up of every different consumer in the UK that is available. If you don't, you're not doing yourself or your client justice. Did you know that British Asians contribute to 6% of the UK's GDP? Still think they are insignificant?? Thought not.
Anyway some stats and background to set the scene:
According to the UK census of 2001, there were around 2.3 million British Asians in the UK.(4% of the population) I say were because nearly 1o years on, I estimate this total to be two/three times this amount. I really do. British Asians also made up 50.3% of the non-European population in 2001. And finally, the Indian origin dominates followed closely by Pakistani and then Bangladeshi to complete this demographic trivia.
So, loaded with all this information, what can you do with and what do you need to understand before marketing to this audience?
Ok, so we know which part of the world they originate from , so what defines them? How do they think? Work? Live? What do they eat? ..and what shapes that social habits. Our extensive research of the market has shown the below traits. These are the topics any marketeer should make sure they understand and considered even before trying to put together any proposals. And what you will see from the below is how it all links together.
1)Religion is a start. Hindu, Muslim and Sikh are the main religions. So, make sure you understand the difference between them. For example, a campaign to PR a Shariah-compliant insurance product will be largely wasted on Hindu and Sikh regardless of its ethical stance.
2) Family - Big on family for all religions. For example a typical wedding attracts 600 people on average. Word of mouth therefore naturally proves a very strong marketing tool. Also, many tend to live in one household. So the chance of catching three generations in one go via a concerted direct mail or PR campaign is highly probable.
3) Social class- The attitude today is: "... if my neighbours/uncle/friend/guy from street has got it, I want bigger and better." So they tend to spend big on luxury items. BMW and Mercedes have done particularly well. Big homes in affluent postcodes are a norm. However, even those who live in less desirable areas will be driving a top-of-the-range Range Rover. How? (See point 4.)
4) Disposable income - Lots of it. The nature of living with parents whose houses are largely mortgage free coupled with the income generated from business (see point 6) means a larger disposable income than the average Joe( no pun intended). Living with parents means no rent to pay freeing up plenty of spare cash (see point 5) . Also, work-mentality-at-an-early-age has been taught by the parents at an early age so many are used to earning. What this means is that salary earners are a plenty from an early age. If six are earning £20k + every year, you do the maths!
5) Lifestyle - As mentioned having the best cars and homes feature heavily. But so do having the latest gadgets. Latest mobiles? Check. Designer clothing? Check. LCD/Plasma TV? Check. See point 4.
6) Entrepreneur - famed for their business skills. British Asians mainly started working in factories when they came to the UK. A few came with business ideas and started little enterprises serving their own community such as butchers and grocers. After a few years, once they became more confident they branched out - mostly in garment manufacturing. Today, they have businesses in every sector possible. Being a businessman/woman is a given. B2B marketeers? A chance to connect?
7) Education - Very keen on education. Doctors, Dentists and Pharmacists, Lawyers and Accountants a preferred choice. But similar to above, the ethnic minority have branched out into almost every profession.
8) Holidays - Whereas going to India and Pakistan was a treat 10, 15 years ago, today's reality is different. For this generation, anywhere in the world is fair game. Dubai is the popular destination.
9)Culture - Bollywood is...Hollywood. Bollywood is big news here. As is Indian food and clothing. Visit Southall, Birmingham, Bradford for an example.
Top tips and insight by 79pr.co.uk
OK. So what is it? Is it language? Is it culture? Is it religion?
All key questions that marketeers ask themselves when trying to understand how to market to the UK's diverse ethnic population. (I focus on UK for this blog, but the same lessons and tips can be used in the US).
The truth of the matter lies in all of them. Read on.
79PR has helped a number of business make the crossover to help them market to the brown pound. In fact, we have helped launched two major brands directly marketing to the ethnic crowd. Both very different businesses, both used different tactics. But, before I carry on let me talk to you about working with ethnic businesses on their PR and Marketing campaigns. In fact, I won't. Because I'll blog about in detail as my next post.
Anyway, getting back to the subject at hand. For this blog I will be looking at the brown consumer. So anyone in the UK that we term British Asian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Asian). India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh etc etc.
Before I begin, many marketeers may ask themselves why they need to understand this market? Well, unless you have been walking with a bag over your head on the streets of UK today, the answer is pretty obvious. Just as ignoring digital media is to your peril, the same is true of the ethnic market. Put very simply - it's a very lucrative market. To be a completely rounded marketer you have to be able to sit and tell your clients about the make-up of every different consumer in the UK that is available. If you don't, you're not doing yourself or your client justice. Did you know that British Asians contribute to 6% of the UK's GDP? Still think they are insignificant?? Thought not.
Anyway some stats and background to set the scene:
According to the UK census of 2001, there were around 2.3 million British Asians in the UK.(4% of the population) I say were because nearly 1o years on, I estimate this total to be two/three times this amount. I really do. British Asians also made up 50.3% of the non-European population in 2001. And finally, the Indian origin dominates followed closely by Pakistani and then Bangladeshi to complete this demographic trivia.
So, loaded with all this information, what can you do with and what do you need to understand before marketing to this audience?
Ok, so we know which part of the world they originate from , so what defines them? How do they think? Work? Live? What do they eat? ..and what shapes that social habits. Our extensive research of the market has shown the below traits. These are the topics any marketeer should make sure they understand and considered even before trying to put together any proposals. And what you will see from the below is how it all links together.
1)Religion is a start. Hindu, Muslim and Sikh are the main religions. So, make sure you understand the difference between them. For example, a campaign to PR a Shariah-compliant insurance product will be largely wasted on Hindu and Sikh regardless of its ethical stance.
2) Family - Big on family for all religions. For example a typical wedding attracts 600 people on average. Word of mouth therefore naturally proves a very strong marketing tool. Also, many tend to live in one household. So the chance of catching three generations in one go via a concerted direct mail or PR campaign is highly probable.
3) Social class- The attitude today is: "... if my neighbours/uncle/friend/guy from street has got it, I want bigger and better." So they tend to spend big on luxury items. BMW and Mercedes have done particularly well. Big homes in affluent postcodes are a norm. However, even those who live in less desirable areas will be driving a top-of-the-range Range Rover. How? (See point 4.)
4) Disposable income - Lots of it. The nature of living with parents whose houses are largely mortgage free coupled with the income generated from business (see point 6) means a larger disposable income than the average Joe( no pun intended). Living with parents means no rent to pay freeing up plenty of spare cash (see point 5) . Also, work-mentality-at-an-early-age has been taught by the parents at an early age so many are used to earning. What this means is that salary earners are a plenty from an early age. If six are earning £20k + every year, you do the maths!
5) Lifestyle - As mentioned having the best cars and homes feature heavily. But so do having the latest gadgets. Latest mobiles? Check. Designer clothing? Check. LCD/Plasma TV? Check. See point 4.
6) Entrepreneur - famed for their business skills. British Asians mainly started working in factories when they came to the UK. A few came with business ideas and started little enterprises serving their own community such as butchers and grocers. After a few years, once they became more confident they branched out - mostly in garment manufacturing. Today, they have businesses in every sector possible. Being a businessman/woman is a given. B2B marketeers? A chance to connect?
7) Education - Very keen on education. Doctors, Dentists and Pharmacists, Lawyers and Accountants a preferred choice. But similar to above, the ethnic minority have branched out into almost every profession.
8) Holidays - Whereas going to India and Pakistan was a treat 10, 15 years ago, today's reality is different. For this generation, anywhere in the world is fair game. Dubai is the popular destination.
9)Culture - Bollywood is...Hollywood. Bollywood is big news here. As is Indian food and clothing. Visit Southall, Birmingham, Bradford for an example.
10) Media - Heavy influences from Bollywood mean media outlets such as B4U, Zee, Sunrise Radio, BBC Asian network, Eastern Eye are good places to start for a targeted campaign. Include in this the high number of religious outlets such as Islamic Channel etc etc and you have a good portfolio of contacts to push your campaign to. However, remember than only target these for a specific campaign. See below.
11) Charity - A major part of their life. They are big charity donors driven by religion and culture. Connection via charity is a good PR opp.
TOP TIPS:- Research your core consumer audience. Understand them. Before you begin, take a walk in the communities you are trying to attract.
- Religion - No doubt, among the biggest factors to understand. 79PR was recently a consultant for an agency pitching for a huge account catering towards the Muslim market. One senior member of the team advised we use Bollywood as a tactical platform to launch the brand. It was a nice idea. Only one flaw though - Music is banned in Islam. Make sure you understand these little details.
- Look at key religious dates in the calendar. Ramadhan, Eid, Diwali, Vaisakhi etc etc. And no, they don't always fall on the same date every year.
- Language - a big thing? Not any more. English is now the most common language. In fact mother tongue is now quickly disappearing. If you catering towards the older audience then Urdu should come first, followed by Gujurati.
- Media - An audit of media outlets should throw up usual suspects of newspapers/radio/TV. But believe you me when I say that many British Asians now read and consume media as an average person from the street. I advise only using ethnic media when it is a specific campaign. ie community radio stations during Ramadhan. Look at the plethora of Bollywood-induced channels for other marketing opps. B4U, Zee TV to name a few.
- Online - Facebook has now become a very active and good medium to engage with ethnic minorities. Trawl through Facebook to find groups you can connect with. It's natural that you are friends with people who share the same culture and beliefs with you.
- Engage - Communities play a big role. Could you engage with religious/community/business leaders? For a former client we lobbied a religious leader who's endorsement proved an unrivalled success for the business.
Sorry for the long post. But it's an important topic and the above is a complete top-line overview.
79PR has commissioned a comprehensive study of the lifestyle and habits of the British Asian consumer and no doubt, we will be sharing its results with you soon. We envisage the study to be completed, analysed and commented by the end of March. But, we will keep you posted.
If you would liked this post, found it helpful and wanted more information then get in touch with us. We can take you through our experiences and offer the insight you may need. info@seventyninepr.co.uk
http://www.79pr.co.uk/ - a PR agency based in Leicester dedicated to good communication.
Best,
The 79PR team.
Follow us on Twitter - www.twitter.com/seventyninepr
http://seventyninepr.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
PR and Marketing to the ethnic consumer population in the UK
UPDATE -
Since we last posted a little while ago, there has been some activity on a national level.
A report has finally been published extolling the importance of targeting the ethnic consumer and why it is vital create dedicated PR and marketing strategies for them. It came a full month after 79PR, on this very blog, gave you the run-down on how you can do it and integrate within marketing plans.
The published document talks about why advertising and marketing spend should create focused campaigns for the increasingly diverse UK ethnic population.
It’s a topic we have been campaigning about for years. What the report doesn’t do is show you how to do it. It's all well and good telling UK marketeers what they should be doing, but it's not a case of just going and doing it. It requires specialist planning and attention and that is why 79PR devotes so much time to this topic and is now a ethnic PR specialist.
Check out our blog last month (which has been recieved fantastic feedback) on a comprehensive run-down on the things you need to consider and do even before you create a marketing plan for ethnic consumers. 79PR is currently in the midst of conducting one of the most comprehensive insights what the ethnic consumer’s behavioural trends and consumer habits are today via a dedicated research campaign.
The results will be out very soon. Keep it pinned to this blog.
Seventy Nine PR - A PR firm based in Leicester, ethnic PR specialist.
http://www.79pr.co.uk/
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Dubai, House Prices and Upsetting women - The S9PR Bulletin
Hello, Welcome to our first weekly newsletter of 2010, giving you a quick summary of business, marketing and PR-related news - globally, nationally and locally.
This week we look at 79PR's predictions for 2010, share some good news for the economy with reports of rising house prices, see how Dubai have been defying critics who say they are in a debt crisis with a spectacular fireworks display to launch the tallest building in the world and we look at an advertising campaign that upset women.
Enjoy.
The 79PR team.
http://seventyninepr.blogspot.com/
Monday, 28 December 2009
Marketing and PR in 2010
2009 was a funny old year. This year definitely saw a seismic shift in the way that PR and marketing is executed.
It had to happen, but the internet and the digital revolution has taken over PR. Fact. In 2009 clients were no longer after the inches in newspapers and magazines. They wanted a bigger bang for their buck. And this meant embracing the digital age.
Although digital 2.0, PR 2.0, social media PR or whatever you want to call it was already on the scene, last year the egg fertilised.
And today building a marketing campaign has to involve web PR. Clients expect a digital presence. Facebook and Twitter campaigns are a must for the marketing managers.
http://seventyninepr.blogspot.com/
It had to happen, but the internet and the digital revolution has taken over PR. Fact. In 2009 clients were no longer after the inches in newspapers and magazines. They wanted a bigger bang for their buck. And this meant embracing the digital age.
Although digital 2.0, PR 2.0, social media PR or whatever you want to call it was already on the scene, last year the egg fertilised.
And today building a marketing campaign has to involve web PR. Clients expect a digital presence. Facebook and Twitter campaigns are a must for the marketing managers.
Last year many PR agencies hastily rearranged their service offering by including digital into the marketing mix for their clients - to good effect. The reason PR, and digital PR in particular, did so well last year in a recession was the acknowledgement by businesses that PR actually provides good value for money. In a nutshell it costs less and brings credibility to your business.
One of the unsolved mysteries, and will remain so for a while, is how you measure online PR during evaluation type. Traditonal media was easy. Get a ruler, measure the inches and multiply with the ad cost. Then, depending on what PR agency you are, multiply it by 3,5 or 7 times to get the equivalent ad value (eav). In the digital world, things are not quite so easy. There are so many factors that need to be taken into account that it is a real task to get the eav.
Twitter - definitely the website for marketeers in 2009. Whether it remains so is anyone's guess. The funny thing about digital is that the more connections you make via social media, the more alone you get. Sure, digital campaigns give you the big hits and quick growth but are you actually engaging with the end consumer? Are you? Indeed, we reach a critical mass very quickly, but do we really know the people who become followers or friends. It seems via the digital revolution, and in particular social media, we seem to have traded quality for quantity.
If reaching a certain number on the friends list is seen to be a measure of success for marketeers, we have real problems. We know the names of the people on the friend list, and we know their friends of their friends, but do we really know who they are? The intimacy of your end-user seems to be lost in the tech waves. The more people we reach, the less we know about them and from a consumer and branding perspective this defeats the object of marketing.
Twitter and Facebook are a great way to grow the numbers, but for a consumer it really is a soulless experience. And when you lose the soul, you forget what makes the consumer tick. Sure, they will click on the link for your great new viral, but their affinity to your business ends when the video finishes.
Expect more of the same in 2010. The digital revolution will continue to grow. PR will continue on the road of creating even crazier stunts for clients to get column inches (see earlier posts for some stunts of 2009 or click here or here). Flashmobbing will become more popular. Another Meerkat-inspired character will front the campaign for something-saving website.
In my opinion Twitter will carry on growing, but somewhere along the way we will have to start paying for its use. It's not making money so it has to claw back money somehow. Staying on the prediction vibe, we will see more and more newspapers charging for content use. So, those media websites we visit everyday for free will become monthly subscription service.
We can't leave the blog without mentioning what 79PR will be up to. One of the major things we are doing is a guest blog for various publications to help those targeting certain markets. The editor of the publication will speak, in no uncertain terms, about how they would like PR's to work with them and what works and what doesn't. If there are any publications, especially ethnic outlets, you require more information for, then please contact us on info@seventyninepr.co.uk and we will help you. After plenty of work towards the back end of last year in event consultation we are looking to set up 79Events sometime in the next few weeks. And finally, we want to make a change for the positive. As such, we are in the embryonic stages of a major campaign to help youngsters understand media with a series of courses and seminars with industry leaders.
No doubt, we will keep you posted.
Best.
The 79PR team.
http://seventyninepr.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Memo to Tiger Woods - Come clean!
An interesting thing happened this week. Really interesting.
It is an uphill struggle at the best of times to explain what PR is, what it does and the benefits it brings.
Funnily enough, even most of my friends and family don't know what I do for a living. The worst thing is that in my former workplace, even the other departments didn't what the PR team did despite the fact that we were one of the most successful facets of the entire business and group.
I feel like Chandler from Friends sometimes - those who follow Friends will understand that comment.
Explaining PR is a difficult one. Many reckon that it is advertising. It isn't. Whereas others associate it immediately with Max Clifford. Trust me, its not that glamorous.
There definitely needs to be more education around what PR does - but that is a question for another day.
Anyway, a few days ago I find myself explaining PR to a bunch of my family and friends during a dinner. Among those in the audience, listening avidly was a 10-year-old. A very bright 10-year-old.
While others were digesting my explanation of what I do, this little cookie stared at me intently, before posing a question which many adults in that room could never have mustered. And what a cracking question it was.
"So," he began, "if you look after the image of businesses, what would you do if you were the PR man behind Tiger Woods?".
This kid will go far, I thought immediately. Not only had he grasped what PR was from my feeble explanation, but he also showed that he kept abreast of current affairs. There is still hope for the youth of this generation.
Now I'm no celebrity PR expert but the lessons to be learned from the debacle surrounding Tiger Woods can be applied to PR for businesses as well. (Those of you who have somehow miraculously missed this story should click on this link here) Although I don't represent celebs I did have a chance to do some work with an up and coming sports star a little while ago. Since then, this guy has become a household name with dreams of cracking America next (any ideas anyone who I'm talking about??)
Clearly for a darling of the sport such as Tiger Woods these revelations have come as a great surprise. But what has been a bigger surprise is the way his publicity and management team have handled the whole affair. While Tiger has applied the mute button, others have not. One thing that a celebrity, and a business as well, must learn is that if you stay quiet, the newspapers wont. They love a scandal involving a celebrity and once they see that no information is forthcoming from the celebrity camp, they start digging. And when they dig, they usually find something.
The lack of words from Tiger has cost him. Sponsors are dropping him, others will follow I'm sure. Perhaps a silver lining is that Gillette will drop him and we won't get to see those awful ads with him and Mssrs Henry and Federer. (Although I would like to ask the person who put these three together in the first place a very serious question - WHY????)
So, in response to the 10-year-old - the answer lies in the truth. Let's think like Max Clifford for a moment. The best thing that any celebrity can do in a situation like this is to come clean. Quickly. Get yourself in front of TV cameras. Be honest. Be upfront. Say sorry, lots of times and be genuine. By doing this you endear yourself to the public even more. And, you also cut the supply of possible dirt being dredged on you by the red tops. If you've already come clean - damage limitation is in full effect.
Never stay silent like Tiger has. People assume guilt and it will take a little while to recover. There are possibly a few mistaken reasons as to why Tiger has taken a vow of silence. He either thinks he a) it will blow over b) he is too embarrassed to say sorry c) or he is too arrogant to apologise. Who knows?
On the flip side I know whose camp I'd like to respresent right now - his wife. The media love a woman who is a victim - especially a celeb one - and with correct management by her PR team she could be birdying her way all the way to the bank.
The 79PR team
http://seventyninepr.blogspot.com/
It is an uphill struggle at the best of times to explain what PR is, what it does and the benefits it brings.
Funnily enough, even most of my friends and family don't know what I do for a living. The worst thing is that in my former workplace, even the other departments didn't what the PR team did despite the fact that we were one of the most successful facets of the entire business and group.
I feel like Chandler from Friends sometimes - those who follow Friends will understand that comment.
Explaining PR is a difficult one. Many reckon that it is advertising. It isn't. Whereas others associate it immediately with Max Clifford. Trust me, its not that glamorous.
There definitely needs to be more education around what PR does - but that is a question for another day.
Anyway, a few days ago I find myself explaining PR to a bunch of my family and friends during a dinner. Among those in the audience, listening avidly was a 10-year-old. A very bright 10-year-old.
While others were digesting my explanation of what I do, this little cookie stared at me intently, before posing a question which many adults in that room could never have mustered. And what a cracking question it was.
"So," he began, "if you look after the image of businesses, what would you do if you were the PR man behind Tiger Woods?".
This kid will go far, I thought immediately. Not only had he grasped what PR was from my feeble explanation, but he also showed that he kept abreast of current affairs. There is still hope for the youth of this generation.
Now I'm no celebrity PR expert but the lessons to be learned from the debacle surrounding Tiger Woods can be applied to PR for businesses as well. (Those of you who have somehow miraculously missed this story should click on this link here) Although I don't represent celebs I did have a chance to do some work with an up and coming sports star a little while ago. Since then, this guy has become a household name with dreams of cracking America next (any ideas anyone who I'm talking about??)
Clearly for a darling of the sport such as Tiger Woods these revelations have come as a great surprise. But what has been a bigger surprise is the way his publicity and management team have handled the whole affair. While Tiger has applied the mute button, others have not. One thing that a celebrity, and a business as well, must learn is that if you stay quiet, the newspapers wont. They love a scandal involving a celebrity and once they see that no information is forthcoming from the celebrity camp, they start digging. And when they dig, they usually find something.
The lack of words from Tiger has cost him. Sponsors are dropping him, others will follow I'm sure. Perhaps a silver lining is that Gillette will drop him and we won't get to see those awful ads with him and Mssrs Henry and Federer. (Although I would like to ask the person who put these three together in the first place a very serious question - WHY????)
So, in response to the 10-year-old - the answer lies in the truth. Let's think like Max Clifford for a moment. The best thing that any celebrity can do in a situation like this is to come clean. Quickly. Get yourself in front of TV cameras. Be honest. Be upfront. Say sorry, lots of times and be genuine. By doing this you endear yourself to the public even more. And, you also cut the supply of possible dirt being dredged on you by the red tops. If you've already come clean - damage limitation is in full effect.
Never stay silent like Tiger has. People assume guilt and it will take a little while to recover. There are possibly a few mistaken reasons as to why Tiger has taken a vow of silence. He either thinks he a) it will blow over b) he is too embarrassed to say sorry c) or he is too arrogant to apologise. Who knows?
On the flip side I know whose camp I'd like to respresent right now - his wife. The media love a woman who is a victim - especially a celeb one - and with correct management by her PR team she could be birdying her way all the way to the bank.
The 79PR team
http://seventyninepr.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Only one life after journalism???
Life, Journalism and then PR?
Maybe a few of my ex-journalist colleagues may wince at that comment, but this sequence is a fact of life - even moreso today.
For a hack, the most obvious career after journalism is to get into PR. Fact. But do ex-journalists make the best PR professionals? Yes and no but there is a learning curve.
When I trod the path of hack to PR I must admit I entered with a little naivety and arrogance. I remember sitting in the newsroom reading awful press release after press release while being bombarded with irrelevant calls by PR bods and thinking
“I can knock out better releases than this and I can create better angles. Journalism doesn't pay me what I'm worth, I'm doing ridiculous hours and I'm forever slagging everyone off. I’m going to move into PR, show them how to write a press release, earn millions before driving into the sunset in a sports car.” Easy.
Not quite. And the above comment illustrates a common ignorance among journalists about PR.
Sure, many PRs have never stepped inside a newsroom or even know what "nib" means, but to dismiss them on that basis is slightly disrespectful.
PR isn’t just about good writing and getting as much exposure for your client as possible. It helps, but there is so much more involved.
Having spent over two years working for one of the biggest PR agencies in the UK I now know different. PR is all about managing the reputation of your client, brand recognition and ultimately creating demand. Punchy news headlines and well-written releases are just a start. Being an ex-journalist I instantly gained respect for my writing skills, I knew what made a story, I had the contacts, I knew how a newspaper works, how a journalist thinks and how to write press releases etc but there was so much more I needed to learn. My arrogance quickly disappeared when I realised that to be a good PR person you need to embrace the profession and learn new skills.
One of the biggest role of a PR professional is understanding the client’s needs, making them understand how the media works, what angles and stories will work and why what you are doing is for the good of their business.
One of the biggest tasks in PR is keeping the client happy, as they are the ones who pay the bills. Journalists are naturally autonomous and independent. They don't care who you are, if there is a story to be had, no matter how controversial, it will be written. So, to go from this to bowing to the whim of your client is no easy task. It requires skill and art. You could say that it is similar to how journalists handle good contacts.
I now have my own business (http://www.79pr.co.uk/) fusing everything I've learnt as a journalist and in PR to help my clients. What I've learnt is that journalists can become the best PR people in the world. But that can only happen when they learn the skills needed in PR. Journalism skills combined with PR skills makes a very powerful combination.
There are other careers outside of PR for the hack looking to lock away his shorthand notepad for good. But PR is the closest thing you will ever get to being a hack.
Sure, it will never beat the buzz of a newsroom on a good day, or unearthing a gem of a story or getting a front page lead. But, the reality is that nothing ever will. But, creating a good campaign or securing column inches for your client on a national or a regional publication comes close.
So, a hack and a PR person. Much closer than you think.
http://seventyninepr.blogspot.com/
Maybe a few of my ex-journalist colleagues may wince at that comment, but this sequence is a fact of life - even moreso today.
For a hack, the most obvious career after journalism is to get into PR. Fact. But do ex-journalists make the best PR professionals? Yes and no but there is a learning curve.
When I trod the path of hack to PR I must admit I entered with a little naivety and arrogance. I remember sitting in the newsroom reading awful press release after press release while being bombarded with irrelevant calls by PR bods and thinking
“I can knock out better releases than this and I can create better angles. Journalism doesn't pay me what I'm worth, I'm doing ridiculous hours and I'm forever slagging everyone off. I’m going to move into PR, show them how to write a press release, earn millions before driving into the sunset in a sports car.” Easy.
Not quite. And the above comment illustrates a common ignorance among journalists about PR.
Sure, many PRs have never stepped inside a newsroom or even know what "nib" means, but to dismiss them on that basis is slightly disrespectful.
PR isn’t just about good writing and getting as much exposure for your client as possible. It helps, but there is so much more involved.
Having spent over two years working for one of the biggest PR agencies in the UK I now know different. PR is all about managing the reputation of your client, brand recognition and ultimately creating demand. Punchy news headlines and well-written releases are just a start. Being an ex-journalist I instantly gained respect for my writing skills, I knew what made a story, I had the contacts, I knew how a newspaper works, how a journalist thinks and how to write press releases etc but there was so much more I needed to learn. My arrogance quickly disappeared when I realised that to be a good PR person you need to embrace the profession and learn new skills.
One of the biggest role of a PR professional is understanding the client’s needs, making them understand how the media works, what angles and stories will work and why what you are doing is for the good of their business.
One of the biggest tasks in PR is keeping the client happy, as they are the ones who pay the bills. Journalists are naturally autonomous and independent. They don't care who you are, if there is a story to be had, no matter how controversial, it will be written. So, to go from this to bowing to the whim of your client is no easy task. It requires skill and art. You could say that it is similar to how journalists handle good contacts.
I now have my own business (http://www.79pr.co.uk/) fusing everything I've learnt as a journalist and in PR to help my clients. What I've learnt is that journalists can become the best PR people in the world. But that can only happen when they learn the skills needed in PR. Journalism skills combined with PR skills makes a very powerful combination.
There are other careers outside of PR for the hack looking to lock away his shorthand notepad for good. But PR is the closest thing you will ever get to being a hack.
Sure, it will never beat the buzz of a newsroom on a good day, or unearthing a gem of a story or getting a front page lead. But, the reality is that nothing ever will. But, creating a good campaign or securing column inches for your client on a national or a regional publication comes close.
So, a hack and a PR person. Much closer than you think.
http://seventyninepr.blogspot.com/
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