The New PR Toolkit: Strategies for Successful Media Relations 084930749X

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Table of Cont ent s

N e w PR Toolk it : St r a t e gie s for Su cce ssfu l M e dia Re la t ion s, Th e By Deirdre Breakenridge , Thom as J. DeLoughry

Publisher : Financial Tim es Prent ice Hall Dat e Published

: January 30, 2003

I SBN: 0- 13- 009025- 5 Pages: 272

The New PR Toolkit delivers proven st rat egies and t act ics for using t oday's m ost powerful new online com m unicat ions t ools t o st rengt hen any brand and every st akeholder relat ionship. Drawing on det ailed case st udies, t he aut hors offer noholds- barred assessm ent s and pract ical guidelines for using e- m ail, online newslet t ers, chat , Web newsroom s, online brand m onit oring, and ot her new t ools. Cont ains a com plet e blueprint for m axim izing t he st rat egic value of com m unicat ions in your organizat ion. [ Team LiB ]

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Table of Cont ent s

N e w PR Toolk it : St r a t e gie s for Su cce ssfu l M e dia Re la t ion s, Th e By Deirdre Breakenridge , Thom as J. DeLoughry

Publisher : Financial Tim es Prent ice Hall Pub Dat e: January 30, 2003 I SBN: 0- 13- 009025- 5 Pages: 272

Copyright FT Prent ice Hall FI NANCI AL TI MES Financial Tim es Prent ice Hall Books About Prent ice Hall Professional Technical Reference Ack now ledgm ent s I nt roduct ion Part I . Laying t he Groundwork Chapt er 1. The 21st - Cent ury Audience Powerful Tools Dot - Com Lessons Know Your Audience Chapt er 2. I dent ifying Audience Trends A Large Audience… …And Growing What They're Doing Online Vet s Do More Broadband I s Com ing Online- Offline Transparency Chapt er 3. Knowing What Your Public Want s Underst anding What People Expect of Your Client Online Fact ors Affect ing Your Online Com m unicat ions St rat egy Ongoing Research I s Crit ical

Chapt er 4. Knowing What t he News Media Want Media Web Sit es Third- Part y Resources Chapt er 5. The Need for Cont inuous Research Part I I . Put t ing t he Tools t o Work Chapt er 6. Building Your Online Newsroom A New World I m perat ive # 1: A Good Online Pressroom I m perat ive # 2: Don't Elim inat e Hum ans The Flip Side Chapt er 7. Using E- Mail Sm art ly How t o Use E- Mail Effect ively E- Mail Cam paigns Chapt er 8. E- Newslet t ers Build Relat ionships E- Mail Alert s I nform at ion- Rich Newslet t ers Dos and Don't s Chapt er 9. Webcast s Are Wort h a Second Try Live Event s Journalist s Are I nt erest ed

Part I I I . Prot ect ing t he Brand Chapt er 10. Monit oring Brand Com m unicat ion Report ers Are Already There What t o Do Wit h t he I nform at ion Manipulat ing Message Boards Chapt er 11. New Tools for Crisis Managem ent Plan Now Lessons from 9/ 11 A Quick Response Planning a Crisis Sit e Chapt er 12. I nt egrat ing Your PR St rat egies I nt egrat ion Tips Fit t ing Tools Toget her When I nt egrat ion Works Beyond Consist ency Chapt er 13. Don't Forget about Privacy Part I V. Conclusions Chapt er 14. The Changing Role of t he Com m unicat or Chapt er 15. Looking Ahead

More Collaborat ion Richer Present at ions Blogs Are Com ing Bet t er Managem ent A Tool I s a Tool

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Copyright A CI P cat alogue record for t his book can be obt ained from t he Library of Congress. Product ion Edit or and Com posit or: Vanessa Moore Execut ive Edit or: Jim Boyd Full- Service Product ion Manager: Anne R. Garcia Market ing Manager: John Pierce Manufact uring Buyer: Maura Zaldivar Manfact uring Manager: Alexis R. Heydt Cover Design Direct or: Jerry Vot t a Cover Design: Talar Booruj y I nt erior Design: Gail Cocker- Bogusz © 2003 Pearson Educat ion, I nc. Publishing as Financial Tim es Prent ice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Prent ice Hall books are widely used by corporat ions and governm ent agencies for t raining, m arket ing, and resale. For inform at ion regarding corporat e and governm ent bulk discount s, please cont act : Corporat e and Governm ent Sales ( 800) 382- 3419 or corpsales@pearsont echgroup.com Com pany and product nam es m ent ioned herein are t he t radem arks or regist ered t radem arks of t heir respect ive owners. All right s reserved. No part of t his book m ay be reproduced, in any form or by any m eans, wit hout perm ission in writ ing from t he publisher. Print ed in t he Unit ed St at es of Am erica 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Pearson Educat ion LTD. Pearson Educat ion Aust ralia PTY, Lim it ed Pearson Educat ion Singapore, Pt e. Lt d. Pearson Educat ion Nort h Asia Lt d.

Pearson Educat ion Canada, Lt d. Pearson Educación de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. Pearson Educat ion—Japan Pearson Educat ion Malaysia, Pt e. Lt d.

Dedication To Jeff, Megan, Mom , Dad, Bill, and Jay: Thank you for t he love and support in helping m e t o achieve m y goals. To m y part ners Jason and Dennis: Thank you for m aking PFS t he incredible experience t hat it is! —D.B. Wit h love and t hanks t o Maria, Ryan, and Kevin. —T.J.D. [ Team LiB ]

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FT Prentice Hall FINANCIAL TIMES

I n an increasingly com pet it ive world, it is qualit y of t hinking t hat gives an edge—an idea t hat opens new doors, a t echnique t hat solves a problem , or an insight t hat sim ply helps m ake sense of it all. We work wit h leading aut hors in t he various arenas of business and finance t o bring cut t ing- edge t hinking and best learning pract ice t o a global m arket . I t is our goal t o creat e world- class print publicat ions and elect ronic product s t hat give readers knowledge and underst anding which can t hen be applied, whet her st udying or at work. To find out m ore about our business product s, you can visit us at www.ft - ph.com

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Financial Times Prentice Hall Books For m ore inform at ion, please go t o www.ft - ph.com Dr. Judit h M. Bardwick Seeking t he Calm in t he St orm : Managing Chaos in Your Business Life Gerald R. Baron Now I s Too Lat e: Survival in an Era of I nst ant News Thom as L. Bart on, William G. Shenkir, and Paul L. Walker Making Ent erprise Risk Managem ent Pay Off: How Leading Com panies I m plem ent Risk Managem ent Michael Basch Cust om erCult ure: How FedEx and Ot her Great Com panies Put t he Cust om er First Every Day J. St ewart Black and Hal B. Gregersen Leading St rat egic Change: Breaking Through t he Brain Barrier Deirdre Breakenridge Cyberbranding: Brand Building in t he Digit al Econom y Deirdre Breakenridge and Thom as J. DeLoughry The New PR Toolkit : St rat egies for Successful Media Relat ions William C. Byham , Audrey B. Sm it h, and Mat t hew J. Paese Grow Your Own Leaders: How t o I dent ify, Develop, and Ret ain Leadership Talent Jonat han Cagan and Craig M. Vogel Creat ing Breakt hrough Product s: I nnovat ion from Product Planning t o Program Approval David M. Cart er and Darren Rovell On t he Ball: What You Can Learn About Business from Sport s Leaders Subir Chowdhury Organizat ion 21C: Som eday All Organizat ions Will Lead t his Way Subir Chowdhury The Talent Era: Achieving a High Ret urn on Talent Sherry Cooper Ride t he Wave: Taking Cont rol in a Turbulent Financial Age Jam es W. Cort ada 21st Cent ury Business: Managing and Working in t he New Digit al Econom y Jam es W. Cort ada Making t he I nform at ion Societ y: Experience, Consequences, and Possibilit ies

Aswat h Dam odaran The Dark Side of Valuat ion: Valuing Old Tech, New Tech, and New Econom y Com panies Henry A. Davis and William W. Sihler Financial Turnarounds: Preserving Ent erprise Value Ross Dawson Living Net works: Leading Your Com pany, Cust om ers, and Part ners in t he Hyperconnect ed Econom y Jim Despain and Jane Bodm an Converse And Dignit y for All: Unlocking Great ness t hrough Values- Based Leadership Sarv Devaraj and Raj iv Kohli The I T Payoff: Measuring t he Business Value of I nform at ion Technology I nvest m ent s Harry Dom ash Fire Your St ock Analyst ! Analyzing St ocks on Your Own David Dranove What 's Your Life Wort h? Healt h Care Rat ioning…Who Lives? Who Dies? Who Decides? Nicholas D. Evans Business Agilit y: St rat egies for Gaining Com pet it ive Advant age t hrough Mobile Business Solut ions Nicholas D. Evans Business I nnovat ion and Disrupt ive Technology: Harnessing t he Power of Breakt hrough Technology…for Com pet it ive Advant age Kennet h R. Ferris and Barbara S. Pècherot Pet it t Valuat ion: Avoiding t he Winner's Curse Oren Fuerst and Uri Geiger From Concept t o Wall St reet David Gladst one and Laura Gladst one Vent ure Capit al Handbook: An Ent repreneur's Guide t o Raising Vent ure Capit al, Revised and Updat ed Marshall Goldsm it h, Vij ay Govindaraj an, Beverly Kaye, and Albert A. Vicere The Many Facet s of Leadership Robert B. Handfield, Ph.d, and Ernest L. Nichols Supply Chain Redesign: Transform ing Supply Chains int o I nt egrat ed Value Syst em s David R. Henderson The Joy of Freedom : An Econom ist 's Odyssey Faisal Hoque The Alignm ent Effect : How t o Get Real Business Value Out of Technology Harvey A. Hornst ein The Haves and t he Have Not s: The Abuse of Power and Privilege in t he Workplace…and How t o Cont rol I t

Philip Jenks and St ephen Ecket t , Edit ors The Global- I nvest or Book of I nvest ing Rules: I nvaluable Advice from 150 Mast er I nvest ors Charles P. Jones Mut ual Funds: Your Money, Your Choice. Take Cont rol Now and Build Wealt h Wisely Thom as Kern, Mary Cecelia Lacit y, and Leslie P. Willcocks Net sourcing: Rent ing Business Applicat ions and Services Over a Net work Al Lieberm an, wit h Pat ricia Esgat e The Ent ert ainm ent Market ing Revolut ion: Bringing t he Moguls, t he Media, and t he Magic t o t he World Frederick C. Milit ello, Jr., and Michael D. Schwalberg Leverage Com pet encies: What Financial Execut ives Need t o Lead Robin Miller The Online Rules of Successful Com panies: The Fool- Proof Guide t o Building Profit s D. Quinn Mills Buy, Lie, and Sell High: How I nvest ors Lost Out on Enron and t he I nt ernet Bubble Dale Neef E- procurem ent : From St rat egy t o I m plem ent at ion John Nofsinger and Kennet h Kim I nfect ious Greed: Rest oring Confidence in Am erica's Com panies John R. Nofsinger I nvest m ent Blunders ( of t he Rich and Fam ous) …And What You Can Learn from Them John R. Nofsinger I nvest m ent Madness: How Psychology Affect s Your I nvest ing…And What t o Do About It Erica Orloff and Kat hy Levinson, Ph.D. The 60- Second Com m ut e: A Guide t o Your 24/ 7 Hom e Office Life Tom Osent on Cust om er Share Market ing: How t he World's Great Market ers Unlock Profit s from Cust om er Loyalt y Richard W. Paul and Linda Elder Crit ical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Professional and Personal Life Mat t hew Serbin Pit t insky, Edit or The Wired Tower: Perspect ives on t he I m pact of t he I nt ernet on Higher Educat ion W. Alan Randolph and Barry Z. Posner Checkered Flag Proj ect s: 10 Rules for Creat ing and Managing Proj ect s t hat Win, Second Edit ion St ephen P. Robbins The Trut h About Managing People…And Not hing but t he Trut h

Fernando Robles, Françoise Sim on, and Jerry Haar Winning St rat egies for t he New Lat in Market s Jeff Saperst ein and Daniel Rouach Creat ing Regional Wealt h in t he I nnovat ion Econom y: Models, Perspect ives, and Best Pract ices Ronald Snee and Roger Hoerl Leading Six Sigm a: A St ep- by- St ep Guide Based on Experience wit h GE and Ot her Six Sigm a Com panies Eric G. St ephan and Wayne R. Pace Powerful Leadership: How t o Unleash t he Pot ent ial in Ot hers and Sim plify Your Own Life Jonat han Wight Saving Adam Sm it h: A Tale of Wealt h, Transform at ion, and Virt ue Yoram J. Wind and Vij ay Mahaj an, wit h Robert Gunt her Convergence Market ing: St rat egies for Reaching t he New Hybrid Consum er

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About Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference Wit h origins reaching back t o t he indust ry's first com put er science publishing program in t he 1960s, and form ally launched as it s own im print in 1986, Prent ice Hall Professional Technical Reference ( PH PTR) has developed int o t he leading provider of t echnical books in t he world t oday. Our edit ors now publish over 200 books annually, aut hored by leaders in t he fields of com put ing, engineering, and business. Our root s are firm ly plant ed in t he soil t hat gave rise t o t he t echnical revolut ion. Our bookshelf cont ains m any of t he indust ry's com put ing and engineering classics: Kernighan and Rit chie's C Program m ing Language, Nem et h's UNI X Syst em Adm inst rat ion Handbook, Horst m ann's Core Java, and Johnson's High- Speed Digit al Design.

PH PTR acknowledges it s auspicious beginnings while it looks t o t he fut ure for inspirat ion. We cont inue t o evolve and break new ground in publishing by providing t oday's professionals wit h t om orrow's solut ions. [ Team LiB ]

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Acknowledgments I t t ook approxim at ely one full year t o develop t he cont ent s of our book, The New PR Toolkit . I f it weren't for t he m any professionals who assist ed us t hroughout t he process, it would have t aken m uch longer. Many of t he edit ors/ j ournalist s who cont ribut ed t o t his book were on deadline t hem selves, yet st ill m anaged t o successfully m eet our t im e requirem ent s. We t hank t hem wholeheart edly for t hat . We also want t o t hank t he execut ives who t ook t he t im e t o provide us wit h candid input from t heir own personal account s and experiences wit h respect t o public relat ions and it s growt h on t he I nt ernet . This input not only support ed our research, but also gave t his book an honest look at t he daily life of PR people and how t hey approach t he I nt ernet . There are m any people behind t he scenes who st uck wit h us t hrough t his long process. We're t hankful for our reviewers and developers, Russ, Tanya, and Jon, for helping us t o m old The New PR Toolkit. We appreciat e t he m any hours you spent reading and providing us wit h your welcom ed com m ent s, which guided us every st ep of t he way. Deirdre's special acknowledgm ent s go t o her part ners at PFS Market wyse, Jason Milet sky and Dennis Chom insky. Their t ireless effort s t o build PFS ( 24/ 7) provided us wit h m any of t he experiences recorded in our book. We t hank t hem for t he support and t he fun along t he way. Also a special t hanks t o Deirdre's st aff for pit ching in t o give const ant com m ent ary and graphical elem ent s for t he book. Tom would like t o acknowledge his friends and colleagues in j ournalism , m any of whom are not always big fans of t he public relat ions indust ry, but st ill t ook t he t im e t o give t heir honest assessm ent s of how t he profession is using t he new I nt ernet t ools.

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Introduction There's no denying t hat t he I nt ernet has been one of t he m ost overly hyped t echnologies in hum an hist ory. Newspapers, TV shows, m agazines, and yes, even a few books prom ised us a revolut ionary new business world in which hard- charging dot - com s st ole m arket s away from est ablished brick- and- m ort ar com panies t hat were supposedly t oo st upid and slow m oving t o realize what was happening around t hem . All Am ericans would soon have personal Web pages and spend count less hours in online " com m unit ies" swapping advice wit h like- m inded peers. Of course, t hat 's only if t hey weren't running t o t he front door t o accept deliveries of t he books, t oys, pet food, and sofas t hey bought online at low, low prices. Anyone who didn't recognize t he m agnit ude of t his I nt ernet revolut ion and invest a few bucks in skyrocket ing I nt ernet st ocks j ust didn't get it . Today we know t hat t he I nt ernet m ania of t he lat e 1990s was as m uch about greed as it was about innovat ion. I nvest ors, sold on t he not ion of a worldwide net work of billions of consum ers, bet on st art ups and pushed t hem t o run hard despit e poorly form ed business plans, fault y t echnology, and t ot al ignorance about t he difficult y of cost - effect ively delivering t hings like groceries or bedroom set s across wide geographic regions. All has not been lost in t he dot - com bust , however. The world has em braced t his new m edium of com m unicat ion and it is not going t o let go. The I nt ernet m ight not be t he m egam arket previously advert ised, but it has very quickly changed t he way t hat business is done in nearly every indust ry—from finance t o m anufact uring, from real est at e t o ret ail, and m ost cert ainly in public relat ions. I ndeed, it is not hyperbole t o argue t hat t he field of public relat ions has been revolut ionized. PR professionals schooled in t he old world of pret t y press kit s and faxed press releases have had t o adapt quickly. Overnight m ail is no longer fast enough. Report ers, feeling t he I nt ernet 's dem ands for im m ediacy, want inst ant access t o press releases and updat ed versions of corporat e fact sheet s, execut ive backgrounders, and every kind of dat a t hat PR people can m ake available. They expect t o find t he inform at ion in online newsroom s, where all t hese it em s are locat ed in one place. Even m ore revolut ionary, perhaps, is t he fact t hat public relat ions people are increasingly finding t hem selves int eract ing wit h t he public. Report ers and analyst s are only one part of t he j ob. The I nt ernet has given cust om ers, st ockholders, prospect ive business part ners, and ot hers access t o t he m at erials developed by PR people. I t is bot h a m arvelous opport unit y t o get a client 's m essage out t o t he public wit hout t he int erference of report ers and a dangerously out - of- cont rol sit uat ion in which fact s, rum or, and innuendo can be circulat ed about a com pany in seriously dam aging ways oft en under t he radar of clipping and m onit oring services em ployed t o report on what 's being said about a com pany in t he press. The infam ous I nt ernet grapevine has already creat ed big headaches for som e of t he count ry's m ost popular brands. From Heinz ket chup t o Coors beer and even t alk show host s, such as Oprah Winfrey, no one can escape t he I nt ernet 's abilit y t o spread rum ors like wildfire. PR people obviously have not been hiding wit h t heir heads in t he sand. Most are get t ing press releases out quickly via broadcast e- m ail and m any have invest ed

count less hours in developing online pressroom s. But who is using t hese t ools t o great est effect ? What have t hey learned t hat ot hers in PR should em ulat e? What have t hey learned t hat t he rest of us should avoid? What pot ent ially helpful new t ools are on t he horizon? How do com panies keep t heir online PR st rat egies in line wit h what t hey're doing in t he offline arena? Our goal for t his book is t o answer t hese key quest ions for public relat ions professionals—regardless of whet her t heir client s are new I nt ernet com panies or old m anufact urers. Deirdre Breakenridge's first book, Cyberbranding ( Prent ice Hall, 2001) , t old m arket ers how t o use t he I nt ernet t o build t heir brands. St rong public relat ions was an elem ent t o t hat st ory, but The New PR Toolkit focuses int ent ly on public relat ions t o offer solid advice t o pract it ioners. Despit e t his focus, we believe t hat m arket ing professionals, senior level decision m akers, and ent repreneurs are sure t o find value in t he t ips and case st udies present ed here. We underst and t hat t he I nt ernet fundam ent ally has changed PR; however, we also counsel a st rong back- t o- basics approach t o avoid m any of t he pit falls of unsuccessful st rat egies of recent years. Business is st ill business, even if t here's an e hung on t he front of it . Research and planning were oft en t he enem ies of dot - com execut ives living on souped- up " I nt ernet t im e," but bot h funct ions are act ually m ore im port ant t han ever as PR people st ruggle t o det erm ine who is int eract ing wit h t heir brands online and offline and how can t hey be present ed wit h t he best possible im age of t he com pany. The New PR Toolkit is full of solid exam ples of com panies t hat have used t he I nt ernet t o im prove t heir public relat ions effort s and of lessons t hat can be learned by som e high- profile failures. Our " Odd Couple" aut horing part nership ( we won't ident ify who's Felix and who's Oscar) guarant ees t hat readers get not only t he perspect ives of a PR professional who's represent ed client s such as JVC, GMAI , and Derek Jet er's Turn 2 Foundat ion, but also t he views of an experienced edit or who has fielded t housands of pit ches and writ t en hundreds of art icles in his 15 years wit h respect ed publicat ions such as I nt ernet World and The Chronicle of Higher Educat ion. PR people and report ers, whet her t hey want t o adm it it or not , are part ners in bringing inform at ion t o readers and viewers. Our int ent wit h t his book is t o point out successful st rat egies and t act ics as seen t hrough t he eyes of t he PR people who orchest rat ed t hem and t he j ournalist s who responded t o t hem and gave t he st ories ink, airt im e, or online play. The first part of The New PR Toolkit helps you t o lay t he groundwork for your online PR effort s, explaining t he im port ance of ident ifying your t arget audience and underst anding it s needs and want s. The short lives of several dot - com s help us point up t he dangers of overlooking t he im port ance of such research. Research result s, we argue, m ust not be derived from secondary sources, but should com e from prim ary, qualit at ive, and quant it at ive st udies focused on t he percept ions and well- being of a brand. We t ell you, t he readers, about t he t ools available t o you, running t he gam ut from online dat abases, t racking soft ware, m onit oring and clipping services, and so on, and use case st udies t o explain how t hey've been em ployed successfully. The m iddle part of The New PR Toolkit is devot ed t o explaining how t he news m edia have evolved in t he I nt ernet era and t he t ools t hat can be used t o reach t hem . Journalist s of t he 21st Cent ury are m ore deadline conscious t han ever, as weekly publicat ions produce night ly elect ronic newslet t ers, and daily newspapers publish t wice- daily Web updat es. The hist orically hard- charging wire services now get t heir st ories t o t he online public wit hin m inut es of t heir writ ing. The dem ands on t heir

t im e and t he power of t he I nt ernet m eans t hat m any j ournalist s consider faxes and overnight m ail t o be akin t o t he Pony Express. They want inst ant access t o inform at ion t hrough your Web sit e or via e- m ail, but t he det ails t hey want are t he sam e as what t hey've been seeking for years. They want exclusives. They want t o know in a t im ely fashion about big- m oney deals and indust ry- alt ering product announcem ent s. They st ill love colorful personalit ies, preferably in conflict wit h equally colorful rivals. Get t ing personal access t o such bigwigs is st ill t rem endously im port ant t o m ost j ournalist s and a t ask st ill best handled by PR professionals in t he flesh, rat her t han t heir I nt ernet - based t ools. We offer specific advice and case st udies t o illust rat e exact ly how t o const ruct effect ive pit ches in e- m ail, com plet e wit h com pelling subj ect lines. We discuss t he use of perm ission- based e- m ail t hat can keep report ers updat ed on your com pany while prot ect ing you from being branded wit h t he odious and possibly debilit at ing label of spam m er. We discuss t he essent ial elem ent s of an online newsroom and offer our advice on how t o produce an effect ive and accessible Webcast t o get your execut ives out in front of t he worldwide press. I n t he final part of The New PR Toolkit, we focus on t he pieces of a solid online public relat ions st rat egy t hat ext end beyond day- t o- day int eract ions wit h report ers or t he public. We not e, for exam ple, t he incredible speed of I nt ernet com m unicat ions and t he im port ance of prot ect ing your com pany from t he dam aging effect s of m essage boards and rogue Web sit es t hat spread less- t han- pleasant words about your brand. As dissat isfied online users bad- m out h brands ( you know t he rule: have a good experience and you're likely t o t ell t hree people, have a bad experience and you t ell 50 people) , report ers oft en st um ble across t hese post ings and som e m ight receive wider press coverage unless t he affect ed com pany has a way of m onit oring and int ervening t o prot ect it s nam e. Anot her im port ant elem ent of an online st rat egy m ust be a crisis m anagem ent capabilit y t hat let s a com pany get inform at ion out quickly on any num ber of newsm aking event s from plane crashes t o oil spills t o product recalls. The I nt ernet audience expect s t o be able t o go t o a com pany's sit e for t he lat est news, which m eans t hat PR professionals need t o have a ghost t em plat e ready t o go live, one t hat is developed before a crisis occurs and can be quickly updat ed wit h t he lat est det ails and post ed t o t he Web sit e. A quick online response of t he t ype em ployed on Sept em ber 11, 2001, by com panies such as Unit ed Airlines and Sandler O'Neill & Part ners can m ake a com pany appear proact ive rat her t han defensive and can be supplem ent ed lat er wit h m at erials such as writ t en st at em ent s, legal docum ent s, or video of t he CEO's rem arks t hat give t he com pany's st ory in full. Anot her im port ant facet of an online PR st rat egy, we not e, is t he need for int egrat ion wit h offline st rat egies. I m plem ent ing a public relat ions program or com m unicat ion wit hout int egrat ing t he online forum is a disservice t o t he brand. I t 's crit ical for t he brand t hat is port rayed in t radit ional advert ising in print and broadcast t o be in line wit h what 's being com m unicat ed online. Offline PR program s t hat increase awareness need t o appear in t he online forum as well. Even t hough brands find t hat t hey m ight reach different dem ographics online, t he overall brand m essage needs t o be consist ent . Audiences who encount er offline PR receive a reinforced m essage when t he Web sit e focuses on sim ilar inform at ion. This crossover is being facilit at ed by t he spread of high- speed I nt ernet access, which will bring a convergence wit h TV and t he abilit y t o st rengt hen brand ident it y by using t he sam e video on TV and on t he I nt ernet . Finally, no aspect of I nt ernet business can be discussed wit hout proper at t ent ion t o

cust om er privacy. No one, from t he t echnical personnel t racking sit e st at ist ics t o t he m arket ing professionals eager t o creat e cust om ized feat ures t o t he PR people responding t o e- m ailed queries, should overlook t he t rem endous im port ance t hat m any people place on t heir personal privacy. A law governing inform at ion gat hering from children is already on t he books in t he Unit ed St at es and m ore laws could be on t he way. The European Com m unit y, m eanwhile, has prom ulgat ed t ough privacy regulat ions t hat affect U.S. com panies operat ing overseas. PR people need t o acknowledge t he privacy of people's e- m ail addresses, for exam ple, by not sending m ass m ailings in which all t he recipient s' addresses are visible. Even m ore im port ant , however, PR cat ast rophes can be avert ed if PR people assure t hat privacy policies are post ed online and are being followed by em ployees and cont ract ors. Cust om er dat a can be used for innovat ions like personalizat ion t hat prom ise t o im prove online experiences, but com panies m ust be sure t o have consum ers' perm ission before rolling out such innovat ions. As we bring The New PR Toolkit t o a close, we reflect on t he t rem endous change t he I nt ernet has m ade in t he abilit ies of PR professionals t o serve t heir const it uent s at any t im e, day or night . Alt hough som e m ight pine for t he day when t hey had m ore cont rol over how t heir client s were being discussed and perceived, t here's no going back. A new com m unicat ions channel has been born and we are all left t o change wit h t he t im es and ensure t hat we're doing all t hat we can t o see t hat our client s are port rayed in as posit ive a way as m erit ed. Som e resist ance t o change is nat ural, but t he new t oolkit m ust be em braced as a m eans t o m ove forward aggressively, t hereby redefining t he P in PR t o m ean " proact ive." Wit h t he end of t he I nt ernet frenzy and t he onset of t ough econom ic t im es, no one, not even deep- pocket ed brands like Proct er & Gam ble or General Elect ric, is going t o t hrow unlim it ed dollars at t heir online effort s. PR professionals need t o ensure t hat what 's spent is spent correct ly by being proact ive, doing accurat e research, developing t he appropriat e st rat egies, st aying on t op of t heir execut ion, and m anaging a brand's reput at ion t o guarant ee t he best possible out com es for t heir client s. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Part I: Laying the Groundwork Chapt er 1. The 21st - Cent ury Audience Chapt er 2. I dent ifying Audience Trends Chapt er 3. Knowing What Your Public Want s Chapt er 4. Knowing What t he News Media Want Chapt er 5. The Need for Cont inuous Research [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 1. The 21st-Century Audience The business world is fast er and less forgiving. The I nt ernet m akes PR m at erials available 24/ 7. Users' com fort levels wit h t echnology st ill vary. No one act ive in public relat ions since 1995 needs t o be rem inded how dram at ically t he profession has been changed. A key quest ion is whet her t he change has been for t he bet t er or for t he worse. I t can cert ainly be argued t hat t he em phasis on speed t hat has accom panied t he spread of t he I nt ernet has left us all feeling a lit t le cheat ed in som e ways. Brevit y is king. Two- page press releases have been replaced by t wo- paragraph e- m ails aim ed at capt uring t he fleet ing at t ent ion of overworked j ournalist s, m any of whom now serve print and online m ast ers, churning out updat es for t heir Web sit es in addit ion t o regular dut ies for a newspaper, m agazine, or broadcast organizat ion. Fewer j ournalist s have t im e for business lunches, and even phone conversat ions aim ed at uncovering st ory int erest s and building relat ionships seem harder t o fit in. The st andard quest ion, " I s now a good t im e t o t alk?" alm ost isn't wort h asking. " E- m ail m e" is t he new m ant ra, but breaking t hrough a j ournalist 's e- m ail clut t er is a challenge unt o it self. The I nt ernet has also fost ered a self- serve at t it ude am ong j ournalist s, analyst s, and ot her const it uent s. All of t hem want im m ediat e access on t he Web t o t he lat est inform at ion about every aspect of a client —from cust om er list t o t he CEO's biography. This use of t he Web helps PR people because our releases and ot her docum ent s are available 24/ 7 t o j ournalist s around t he world who m ight be int erest ed in our client s, but it afflict s m any of us wit h an unset t ling loss of cont rol. I n t he past , det ails about upcom ing coverage could oft en be gleaned from j ournalist s who called t o request press kit s. This int eract ion oft en gave us a bet t er chance t o influence t hat coverage in ways beneficial t o our client s. Nowadays, we hope t hat t hose reading our releases and ot her m at erials online will call if t hey have quest ions, but we can't be sure t hat t hey will, and we end up feeling a lit t le less cert ain t hat we know what 's com ing. The I nt ernet also has PR people working harder because we're exposed t o t he public in ways t hat didn't exist before. Because we're oft en t he only ones whose t elephone num bers are list ed on a client 's Web sit e, we hear from I nt ernet users about lot s of t hings beyond our cont rol: bad links, unavailable files, or pages t hat load im properly. Suddenly, public relat ions is being m ist aken for cust om er service. We're likely t o hear from anyone who's had a bad experience wit h a client —from unhappy cust om ers t o disgrunt led em ployees. All of t his requires our t im e in m aking sure such m essages get t o t he appropriat e recipient s. We've heard from execut ives, for exam ple, who have asked t heir PR agencies t o rem ove t heir nam es from t he news releases on t heir com pany's Web sit e. One execut ive, in part icular said t hat list ing

his cont act inform at ion on t he releases t hat went out over t he wire was fine, but he didn't want any m ore cell phone calls over t he weekend from Web surfers. We're sure you have m any m ore I nt ernet - inspired headaches t hat can be added t o t his list , but none of t hem can persuade us t hat t he I nt ernet has changed t he PR business for t he worse. I t 's been quit e an adj ust m ent and an educat ional process for t he PR pros and client s alike. However, we st eadfast ly believe t hat PR professionals are working m ore efficient ly and effect ively because of t he I nt ernet . I t has brought t he profession a collect ion of powerful t ools for public relat ions t hat prom ises t o becom e only broader and m ore useful in t he fut ure. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Powerful Tools As not ed earlier, t he sim ple ext ension of t he business day t hat t he I nt ernet has m ade possible is an advancem ent , t he im pact of which seem s im possible t o overest im at e. Your client s' st ories exist on t heir Web sit es, ready for ret rieval by anyone who t ypes t heir nam e int o a search engine. A report er on a t ight deadline who has heard of a client can get a pret t y good pict ure of t hat com pany—and possibly include t hem in his or her copy—regardless of whet her he or she is writ ing in London or Tokyo while t he Unit ed St at es sleeps. Sim ilarly, t he asynchronous nat ure of e- m ail m eans t hat we can com m unicat e about our client s and t heir brands wit h people across t he st reet or around t he world wit hout wast ing hours playing endless gam es of t elephone t ag or worrying about t im ely delivery of press kit s. The I nt ernet is also t he m ost powerful research t ool ever invent ed, offering us t he opport unit y t o quickly assess our client s' posit ioning in t heir m arket s and t heir com pet it ors. A sim ple search on Yahoo! Finance can t ell us what a com pet it or has announced and how it 's playing in t he press. Services like MediaMap, PressAccess, and Bacon's help us keep up wit h t he const ant ly changing personnel and beat assignm ent s in m ost newsroom s so t hat list generat ion is an easy, accurat e, and painless process. Ot her services like EdCal can t ell us of planned st ories t hat m ight be appropriat e for our client s. I nnovat ions like ProfNet have sprung up t hat enable us t o get t he t op execut ives of client s list ed in dat abases of expert s t hat report ers oft en use in t heir search for sources. Alt hough m any PR professionals st ill st ruggle t o st ock t heir client s' online pressroom s or t o find t he right subj ect line for an e- m ailed release, m any have used t he t ools wit h great success. One exam ple is t he PR and advert ising cam paign for About ( about .com ) when it changed it s nam e from Mining Com pany in 1999. A series of m yst erious, good- hum ored e- m ail releases helped build suspense am ong report ers and analyst s and at t ract ed at t ent ion t o t he nam e change. Anot her effect ive e- m ail cam paign was pulled off by Pet er Shenkm an of t he Geek Fact ory on behalf of Sport sBrain, a m aker of a device t hat j oggers can use t o keep t rack of how far t hey've run. Shankm an's " Do you want t o run wit h m e?" subj ect line had him running m ore m iles t han he ever expect ed wit h m edia out let s including The New York Tim es, The Today Show, and Ent repreneur t o nam e a few. PR21, t he agency represent ing Apart m ent s.com ( apart m ent s.com ) , an apart m ent - finding sit e, also t aught us a few lessons about effect ive online PR wit h it s cam paign t o ident ify t he m essiest college apart m ent . Video releases and t he Apart m ent s.com Web sit e kept at t ent ion on t he cont est , which offered a $10,000 prize, and won coverage in 440 print st ories, 245 TV st ories, and on 47 radio st at ions. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Dot-Com Lessons The online com panies About and Apart m ent s.com were bot h st ill in business at t his writ ing, but m any ot her dot - com s t hat helped pioneer I nt ernet t ools for PR have passed from t he scene. I t 's enough of a t rend t o cause m ore t han a few people t o wonder if t here is any correlat ion bet ween aggressive online PR and business failure. How m uch blam e should PR people be assessed for t he dot - com collapse? Our answer is lit t le or none. Alt hough som e PR folks m ight have st ret ched t he t rut h at t im es in describing t he capabilit ies of a few dot - com st art ups, t he sect or rose and fell because of t he newness of t he I nt ernet and t he wild expect at ions of analyst s and invest ors. Dot - com fait h t ranslat ed int o big init ial public offerings ( I POs) , which drove m ore invest ors and ent repreneurs int o t he m arket wit h business plans oft en less well baked t han t he ones t hat had com e before t hem . Writ ing business plans on napkins should have been a first warning. One PR vet eran who shares t his view is Melody Haller, president of Ant enna Group, a San Francisco agency t hat represent ed m any dot - com cust om ers and cont inues t o work wit h t echnology com panies such as WebEx and NanoMuscle. She com pares t he dot - com frenzy t o earlier st ock m arket giddiness in bot h t he soft ware and hardware indust ries. " I t hink everybody was overselling everyt hing," she recalls. " I had t he experience of j ournalist s writ ing t hings about our client s t hat were m ore breat hless t han what we prom ot ed t o t hem ." Haller says t he craziness of t he dot - com frenzy is easy t o underst and when she considers her own early involvem ent in Yahoo! Playing conservat ively and selling her pre- I PO shares t o Soft bank for $12.50 a share cost her about $50 m illion, she est im at es, cit ing Yahoo! 's incredible run- up. Such experiences, she not es, t rained her and ot hers like her t o be m ore opt im ist ic about t he st art ups t hat followed. The m arket , says Haller, " punished you for having realist ic expect at ions and it punished you very, very painfully." An im port ant difference bet ween Yahoo! and t he m any dot - com s t hat have since failed, Haller cont ends, is t hat it was a solid business when it went public, having at t ract ed 1 m illion users before t he com pany was even founded. To t he ext ent t hat public relat ions played a role in it s success, Haller credit s an old, t ried- and- t rue st rat egy of feat uring t he personal st ories of t op execut ives and posit ioning t hem as " post er children" for t he fast - growing universe of I nt ernet users. I n Yahoo! 's case, Jerry Yang and David Filo happened t o be graduat e st udent s who had st art ed t he Web port al on St anford Universit y's com put ers. Haller says she m ight have sent som e e- m ails t o report ers she t hought would be int erest ed in Yang and Filo, but em ail was j ust a t ool and not cent ral t o t he overall st rat egy of m aking t he t wo young founders accessible t o t he press. Even as e- m ail has becom e m ore int egral t o t he business of Ant enna Group, Haller says she st ill t akes pains t o personalize pit ches rat her t han broadcast t hem t o long list s of report ers. She is also widely recognized for host ing " dinner salons" t hat bring j ournalist s and her client s t oget her in t he flesh.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Know Your Audience Such exam ples from Haller and ot her pract it ioners only reinforce our convict ion t hat t he key t o successful online public relat ions is t o int egrat e new t ools int o old- school, back- t o- basics st rat egies. Our goal as PR professionals is t o represent client s in t he best light regardless of whet her it 's in print , on t elevision, or on a com put er screen. Being proact ive st art s wit h knowing your audience and how percept ions change over t im e. The st eps t o t ake t o reach t hese segm ent s st ill need t he sam e careful considerat ion used in years past . Public relat ions is built on relat ionships. I nt ernet or not , speed of light or Pony Express, you cannot disregard t he fact t hat relat ionships t ake nurt uring and underst anding of needs. As such, com m unicat ion m ust be t ailored and incredibly specific despit e t he t em pt at ion m any feel t o go online wit h m ass, unt arget ed inform at ion. The st rat egies, t herefore, need t o be laid down on t op of an im port ant groundwork, which includes det erm ining t he m akeup and int erest s of a client 's audience. Are t he report ers and analyst s who visit online pressroom s any different from t heir colleagues who st ill prefer faxes? What about t he m em bers of t he general public surfing t hrough a client 's Web sit e? What are t hey looking for? Are t hey generally older, younger, or ot herwise dem ographically different from t he com pany's t ypical cust om er? We st rongly recom m end a close relat ionship bet ween a com pany's PR operat ions and it s Web sit e. I f public relat ions professionals are not in charge of t he sit e, t hey should be, at t he least , m em bers of what ever com m it t ees are convened t o discuss sit e design and funct ionalit y. Com m unicat ion professionals and inform at ion t echnology ( I T) depart m ent s m ust align. You should argue loudly for easy access t o inform at ion in place of flashy graphics t hat oft en delay Web users from get t ing t he dat a t hey want . You should also keep a careful eye on a sit e's m aint enance t o m ake sure t hat t he sit e represent s t he com pany in t he best light . Finally, public relat ions people m ust be in a posit ion t o learn from what people are doing on a client 's Web sit e t o im prove t heir int eract ions wit h t he sit e. This m eans t hat Web log dat a showing how people ent ered a sit e, what t hey searched for, t he docum ent s t hey looked at , and t he t im e spent looking at each one, m ust be shared wit h PR folks if t he sit es are t o be m ade m ore useful t o report ers, analyst s, prospect ive cust om ers, or any ot her cybervisit ors. One im port ant fact or t o rem em ber in underst anding your client 's online audience is t hat people are at very different st ages of t echnology accept ance. Scholars who st udy t he adopt ion of innovat ions have creat ed t he following labels t o describe t he spect rum of t echnology users: [ 1] [ 1] Cat eora, Philip R., and Graham , John L. I nt ernat ional Market ing ( 10t h ed.) . New York: McGraw Hill, 1996.

I n n ova t or s. Oft en young and m obile, t he m em bers of t his group em brace t echnology early on and were right t here at t he birt h of t he com m ercial I nt ernet , j um ping on t he bandwagon wit h creat ive ideas. The innovat ors m ight also be classified as t he group t hat im m ediat ely bought st ock in Yahoo! , seeing t he search engine as a valuable and groundbreaking t ool in t he I nt ernet 's fut ure. I nnovat ors want t o see Web sit es push t he envelope in t erm s of ut ilizing

new t echnology. Ea r ly a dopt e r s. Also young and m obile, but a lit t le less prone t o t aking risks t han are innovat ors, t he early adopt ers were also on t he I nt ernet early, helping t o fuel t he growt h of Am azon.com and eBay and willing t o t est t he wat ers of online banking. This group is also quick t o use e- m ail and frowns at t he hassle of snail m ail. Early adopt ers are not afraid t o com plet e online regist rat ion form s t o receive free gift s and prom ot ional offers from t heir favorit e brands. Ea r ly m a j or it y. This group enj oys t he speed and usefulness of t he I nt ernet for research and news and for corresponding wit h friends and fam ily ( oft en inst ant m essaging wit h friends and fam ily from t he office) . The early m aj orit y are m uch m ore caut ious t han t he early adopt ers, as t hey require quit e a bit m ore inform at ion and prom pt ing t o use t he I nt ernet in all of it s capacit ies. La t e m a j or it y. Alt oget her different from any of t he previous groups, t he m em bers of t he lat e m aj orit y are generally overly suspicious of new ideas and did not em brace I nt ernet t echnology unt il t hey were convinced of t he solid benefit s t he m edium offers, such as savings on long- dist ance phone charges. The lat e m aj orit y is usually com prised of older audiences ( m iddle- aged t o senior cit izens) who look t o preceding groups ( and younger generat ions) for approval and safet y when it com es t o use of t he m edium . La gga r ds. A group t hat clearly does not want t o be bot hered wit h t he I nt ernet , laggards are t ypically senior cit izens who are cont ent t o rely on t heir t radit ional m eans for ret rieving inform at ion. The t elephone book will always be a guiding reference for t his group. Alt hough som e m ight lack t he econom ic m eans t o purchase a com put er or I nt ernet access, m any are also concerned about privacy and t hey are not eager t o have t heir personal preferences t racked t hrough cyberspace. While t here are except ions on bot h sides of t he I nt ernet spect rum , it is pret t y safe t o say t hat m any j ournalist s and analyst s fall int o t he early m aj orit y cat egory and are willing t o t est drive new online feat ures, like applet s for graphing financial dat a, t hat prom ise t o help t hem do t heir j obs bet t er. Som e innovat ions like Webcast s, however, can be problem at ic because of firewall and bandwidt h issues relat ed t o t he corporat e net works of m edia com panies, which are oft en not on t he cut t ing edge. Journalist s and analyst s have also been t hrough t he dot - com collapse and t aken t heir share of crit icism for helping t o feed t he invest ing frenzy before t he crash. Regardless of whet her such crit icism is deserved, it 's fair t o say t hat bot h groups have em erged m ore skept ical. Report ers are t ired of hearing about t iny st art ups prom ising t o revolut ionize som e aspect of Am erican business. Their edit ors, st ung by t he crit icism of dot - com coverage and seeking t o fill fewer m agazine or newspaper pages in a slow econom y, are asking m uch t ougher quest ions about st ory ideas t han t hey ever did in t he lat e 1990s. PR professionals m ust be capable of providing solid inform at ion up front about a com pany's business plan, financing, and execut ive leadership j ust t o get a j ournalist int erest ed in possibly pursuing a st ory. Providing such inform at ion online is only going t o help your chances of get t ing t hat at t ent ion. Archives of press releases t hat chronicle t he com pany's developm ent and it s cust om er wins can also be asset s in swaying a j ournalist who is doing due diligence of pot ent ial st ory subj ect s and could very well be doing it long aft er regular business hours. When it com es t o m em bers of t he general public who are visit ing a client 's Web sit e, knowing t he m akeup of your online audience is im port ant because fancy online

feat ures int ended t o im press innovat ors m ight t urn off t he less t echnologically ast ut e. At t he sam e t im e, a com pany posit ioning it self as a t echnology leader needs t o display som e of it s prowess and not develop t he sim plest of sit es. Knowing your audience can also t ell you how willing your online visit ors m ight be t o t rade som e of t heir privacy for surfing experiences t hat are m ore cust om ized t o t heir int erest s. Lexis- Nexis, which provides searchable dat abases for lawyers, governm ent officials, and corporat e execut ives, learned t his lesson t he hard way during it s early days online. The com pany ignored privacy com plaint s of one of it s users who did not like a new service t hat disclosed t he Social Securit y num bers of prom inent people. Aft er count less effort s t o be heard, t his wom an decided t o t ake her com plaint s t o t he I nt ernet and post ed negat ive com m ent s on a m essage board. The m essage spread like wildfire as it was picked up by at least 300 ot her Web sit es. Wit h t he decision t o not squash t he negat ive com m unicat ion or aggressively respond t o it , Lexis- Nexis st ill received calls from report ers a year aft er t he wom an first spoke out . On t he ot her hand, a good exam ple of how a com pany displayed sensit ivit y t o t he worries of it s cust om ers can be found in Ask Jeeves' handling of cust om ers of Et ours, a com pany it acquired in May 2001. The E- t ours sit e had provided m em bers wit h point s for agreeing t o t ake t ours of Web sit es t hat were supposed t o fit wit h t heir int erest s. The purchase by Jeeves and a nam e change t o Jeeves' Tours m arked t he end of t he point s program and m em bers were offered t he opport unit y t o becom e involved wit h Qool.com , an I nt ernet auct ion sit e t hat is known as " t he I nt ernet 's first and only 'free auct ion' sit e." [ 2] Because t he new alliance allowed visit ors t o t ransfer point s from t he old program , Jeeves' Tours want ed t o provide it s audience wit h Qool.com 's privacy policy. An e- m ail updat e went out t o all of t he Jeeves' Tours m em bers wit h a link t o view Qool.com 's privacy policy on t he Web. Unfort unat ely, t here were som e t echnical difficult ies and t he inform at ion was difficult t o access. However, when inquiries were m ade t o Jeeves' Tours, t he brand expedit iously em ailed t he privacy policy t o it s users. The policy was t horough and com plet e, wit h inform at ion about children's dat a, what t ype of inform at ion is collect ed, why it is collect ed, regist rat ion and m em bership services, and securit y and safeguard m easures. This brand was proact ive in it s effort s, realizing t he core m em bership group ( t he m em bers of t he lat e m aj orit y) was skept ical about I nt ernet privacy issues. Forwarding privacy policies before t he cust om er asked for t hem qualifies Jeeves' Tours for our gold st ar for sm art public relat ions and brand m anagem ent on t he I nt ernet . [ 2]

E- Tour and Ask Jeeves m em ber updat e, August 13, 2001.

Unfort unat ely, t oo m any dot - com s failed t o underst and t heir audiences or care about t heir t echnology com fort levels. What 's t he use of offering t echnology if t he visit or does not know how t o access it , m aneuver t hrough it , or dist rust s it ? Web experiences t oo oft en did not m at ch up wit h t he hype surrounding dot - com s and brands were t arnished by t hat fact t hat cust om ers were left feeling t hat prom ises had been broken. This, indeed, is count erproduct ive t o t he PR professional who aim s t o build t he im age and prot ect t he brand's reput at ion. PR professionals m ight not have been t he leaders of t he dot - com doom , but not t aking t he t im e t o realize and apply t he t ried and t rue st rat egies t hat worked so well in t he past cert ainly did not benefit t heir brands. There are sim ply no subst it ut es for research and careful planning as we seek t o address t he needs of 21st - Cent ury audiences. I n t he next chapt er, our focus is on what researchers t ell us about I nt ernet users as we t ry t o help you lay t hat groundwork for your client s' or your own com pany's I nt ernet init iat ives.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 2. Identifying Audience Trends The online populat ion is large and growing. An increasingly diverse populat ion is doing serious research online. The public want s no barriers bet ween com panies' online and offline appearance. A sm art first st ep in laying t he groundwork for m aking bet t er use of t he I nt ernet for public relat ions is t o underst and what researchers have already learned about t he online populat ion. Does it really m ake sense t o t ie a prom ot ional cam paign for a m aker of dent ure adhesive t o a Web sit e cont est or sweepst akes? Well, m aybe not t oday, but t hree years from now it m ight . What about your plan for loading up your client 's Web sit e wit h all of it s TV com m ercials and video of it s recent press conferences? Will t he video at t ract enough users t o j ust ify t he cost of put t ing it online? The ant icipat ed spread of high- speed I nt ernet access seem s t o indicat e t hat now's t he t im e t o get t hose videos racked up and ready t o roll. There is cert ainly no short age of dat a t o plow t hrough in your search for answers t o t hese quest ions and ot hers—and no scarcit y of research organizat ions like Jupit er Media Met rix, Nielsen/ / Net Rat ings, Gart ner, or I DC looking t o sell you dat a cust om ized t o fit your int erest s. This secondary dat a can answer som e of your research quest ions and help you plan bet t er and m ore cost effect ively for your own prim ary dat a gat hering. Our goal wit h t his chapt er is t o help you fill in t he blanks as best you can before going out t o hire a research firm , or prior t o em ploying your own resources in t he research process. Knowing t he lat est audience t rends should help you in det erm ining what online t ools t o use in reaching out t o your client s' t arget audiences and how t o bet t er t ailor a branded m essage based on online usage and surfing habit s. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

A Large Audience… All figures bandied about concerning t he num bers of people on t he I nt ernet m ust be regarded wit h som e skept icism because an accurat e count is clearly im possible. There is no cent ral aut horit y in charge of t he I nt ernet and an organizat ion t hat links it s com put ers t o t he I nt ernet does not have t o declare t o anyone whet her it has grant ed I nt ernet access t o 30 em ployees or 30,000. The sam e is t rue of com panies t hat provide access t o individuals in t heir hom es. Am erica Online is believed t o be t he giant in t he field wit h m ore t han 35 m illion subscribers in lat e 2002, but it is im possible t o know how m any people have account s wit h unt old num bers of sm aller service providers in obscure corners of t he globe—or even in t he Unit ed St at es. Nevert heless, researchers do t he best t hey can. The num ber of people logging on t hrough U.S. households in Sept em ber 2001 was 168.4 m illion, according t o Nielsen/ / Net Rat ings. The sam e com pany est im at ed t hat 42.7 m illion people logged on t hrough t heir workplaces in t hat sam e m ont h, but som e num ber of t hem were undoubt edly also count ed in t he t ally of at - hom e users. A closer look at t he weekly act ivit y dat a t hat Nielsen/ / Net Rat ings com piled from it s panels of allegedly represent at ive U.S. I nt ernet users t ells us people did nearly t wice as m uch surfing at work ( six hours, 17 m inut es) during t he week t hat st art ed August 26, 2001 t han t hey did at hom e ( t hree hours, 12 m inut es) . Alt hough t he different groups each spent about a half- hour during each surfing session, t he great er num ber of sessions for workers enabled t hem t o cover 14 different sit es in a week as opposed t o six for at - hom e surfers ( see Tables 2- 1 and 2- 2)

Ta ble 2 - 1 . Ave r a ge W e b Use a t W or k , Au gu st 2 6 – Se pt e m be r 2, 2001 No. of sessions per week

12

No. of unique sit es visit ed

14

Tim e spent per week

6: 17: 02

Tim e spent per session

32: 05

Durat ion of a page viewed

00: 58

Act ive I nt ernet universe

35,269,988

I nt ernet universe est im at e

42,719,009

Source: Nielsen/ / Net Rat ings

Ta ble 2 - 2 . Ave r a ge W e b Use a t H om e , Au gu st 2 6 – Se pt e m be r 2, 2001

No. of sessions per week

6

No. of unique sit es visit ed

6

Tim e spent per week

3: 12: 03

Tim e spent per session

31: 32

Durat ion of a page viewed

00: 51

Act ive I nt ernet universe

72,425,112

I nt ernet universe est im at e

168,392,667

Source: Nielsen/ / Net Rat ings [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

…And Growing The collapse of so m any dot - com s has caused som e observers of t he I nt ernet t o quest ion whet her it would cont inue it s m et eoric growt h in usership. The Pew I nt ernet & Am erican Life Proj ect t ackled t hat quest ion during t he darkest days of t he I nt ernet m arket downt urn, com paring t he m akeup of I nt ernet users at t he end of 2000 t o what it had been in t he spring of t hat year. Pew's result s ( see Table 2- 3) indicat ed big growt h in num bers of I nt ernet users in all dem ographic groups. For exam ple, t hree- quart ers of Am ericans bet ween 18 and 29 years old were online, as were nearly t wo- t hirds of t hose bet ween 30 and 49. Huge m aj orit ies of people earning m ore t han $30,000 a year were also online, but t here was also significant growt h in I nt ernet use am ong t hose below t hat incom e level.

Ta ble 2 - 3 . Gr ow t h of I n t e r n e t Popu la t ion ( Pe r ce n t a ge of Ea ch Gr ou p On lin e ) O N LI N E G ROUP

SPRI N G 2 0 0 0 ( % )

LA T E 2 0 0 0 ( % )

All Adult s

47

56

Men

50

58

Wom en

45

54

Whit es

49

57

Blacks

35

43

Hispanics

40

47

Parent s of children under 18

55

66

Nonparent s

43

50

18–29

61

75

30–49

57

65

50–64

41

51

65+

12

15

Under $30K

28

38

$30K–$50K

50

64

$50K–$75K

67

72

$75K+

79

82

Age Cohort s

I ncom e Bracket s

Educat ion Levels High school or less

28

39

Som e college

62

71

College degree or m ore

76

82

Source: Pew I nt ernet & Am erican Life Proj ect Surveys, May–June and Novem ber–Decem ber 2000. Margin of error is ± 3% . The Pew proj ect t ook anot her shot at assessing t he im pact of t he dot - com collapse on I nt ernet use in early 2001, asking survey part icipant s whet her t heir I nt ernet use had risen or declined in t he previous six m ont hs. The result s were encouraging for I nt ernet com m unicat ors, showing t hat 29 percent of I nt ernet users were online m ore t han before, 54 percent were holding st eady, and only 17 percent said t hey were online less oft en. Am ong t hose online m ore t han t hey had been in t he past , t heir m ost com m on explanat ion was t hat t he I nt ernet had becom e essent ial for t heir work or schooling. The second largest group said t hey had sim ply found m ore t hings t o do on t he I nt ernet . I ndeed, t he survey found t hat 51 percent of t hose connect ed t o t he I nt ernet at work said t hey were online several t im es a day, up from 40 percent in a Pew survey t aken one year earlier. Alt ernat ively, t he sm all group who said t hey spent less t im e online blam ed t hat on being less int erest ed in what t hey had been doing online and on t he t im e pressures of daily life. A few said t hey found t he I nt ernet t o be neit her useful nor wort hwhile, which suggest s t o us t hat t hey m ight have been t urned off by Web sit es t hat prom ised a lot m ore t han t hey delivered, a t oo- com m on phenom enon during t he heyday of t he dot - com era. Finally, a sm all num ber of t hose who spent less t im e online t old Pew t hat t hey were st ill fans of t he I nt ernet , but had becom e m ore efficient in t heir use of it and had fast er connect ions t hat liberat ed t hem from long sessions wait ing for pages t o download. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

What They're Doing Any of us fam iliar wit h t he I nt ernet probably don't have t oo m uch difficult y figuring out what people are doing wit h t heir t im e spent online. The Pew st udy t hat com pared act ivit ies in lat e 2000 t o t hose in t he spring of t hat year found t hat large and growing m aj orit ies of I nt ernet users said t hey had used t he I nt ernet t o seek hobby inform at ion, t o browse for fun, and t o get news. Perhaps m ost im port ant t o public relat ions professionals were t he findings t hat m ore t han half of t hose surveyed were using t he I nt ernet for purchases and for j ob- relat ed research, clear indicat ions t hat business decisions are being influenced by visit s t o corporat e Web sit es ( see Table 2- 4) . Such findings support our st rongly held belief t hat public relat ions professionals need t o be incorporat ing current PR program s int o a client 's Web sit e or your own in- house PR, post ing t he lat est news online, and t aking full cont rol of t he sit e's online newsroom .

Ta ble 2 - 4 . I n t e r n e t Act ivit ie s ( Pe r ce n t a ge of Use r s W h o H a ve Re por t e d D oin g t h e Follow in g On lin e ) A CTI VI TY

SPRI N G

2000 ( % )

LATE

2000 ( % )

Look for hobby inform at ion

71

79

Browse for fun

61

68

Buy a product

46

52

Get news

60

63

Get m edical inform at ion

55

57

Do research for t heir j obs

50

52

Get financial inform at ion

43

45

Buy or sell st ocks

12

14

Source: Pew I nt ernet & Am erican Life Proj ect Surveys, May–June and Novem ber–Decem ber 2000. Margin of error is ± 3% . [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Online Vets Do More Pew's research also reveals som et hing int erest ing relat ed t o people in t he different st ages of t echnology adopt ion t hat we ident ified in Chapt er 1. Those who have been online at least t hree years—a const it uency t hat includes old- t im e com put er fans and Gen- Xers who grew up wit h t he I nt ernet —are probably m ost likely t o be labeled innovat ors and early adopt ers and are t he m ost loyal t o t he I nt ernet and likely t o consider it essent ial t o t heir lives. Nearly 60 percent of online vet erans surveyed in early 2001 said t hey would m iss t he I nt ernet " a lot " if it t hey lost access, whereas t hat sent im ent was shared by only 29 percent of t hose who had gone online in t he previous six m ont hs. This allegiance t o t he I nt ernet is underst andable ( see Table 25) considering t hat Pew's research found t hat online vet s were t he m ost likely t o be availing t hem selves of t he I nt ernet 's m any services in great er num bers t han newcom ers, who were m ore likely t o go online prim arily t o exchange e- m ail or t o browse for fun. Such findings reinforce our point in Chapt er 1 t hat public relat ions professionals need t o know t he t echnology com fort level of t he people int eract ing wit h t heir client s online. They m ust also be ready t o offer m ore feat ures when it is det erm ined t hat t he audience has significant num bers of t echnologically savvy users who are act ively using t he I nt ernet t o m ake t heir lives easier and m ore product ive.

Ta ble 2 - 5 . Ve t e r a n s Com pa r e d t o N e w com e r s A CTI VI TY

V ETERAN S ( % )

N EW COM ERS

Go online j ust for fun

64

61

Visit an adult sit e

15

14

Send or read e- m ail

97

88

Search for t he answer t o a specific quest ion

87

60

Look for info on hobbies

83

64

Get news online

78

44

Look for j ob- relat ed inform at ion

65

30

Buy a product

64

31

Look for healt h- relat ed inform at ion

63

47

Look for financial inform at ion

54

21

List en t o m usic online

45

33

Download m usic

33

27

Buy or sell st ocks

18

3

(% )

Source: Pew I nt ernet & Am erican Life Proj ect Tracking Survey, February 2001. Margin of error is ± 3 percent .

Meanwhile, a separat e research st udy by t he Pew I nt ernet & Am erican Life Proj ect has found t hat young people bet ween t he ages of 12 and 17 engage in a wide variet y of online act ivit ies, ranging from heavy use of ent ert ainm ent sit es t o product research ( see Table 2- 6) . Such t rends should be of int erest t o anyone serving a client who is t arget ing young consum ers, but t here is also a lesson here for public relat ions professionals who want t o ant icipat e som e t hings about t he young j ournalist s t hey'll be dealing wit h in j ust a few years. For one t hing, t hey are big users of inst ant m essaging program s, such as AOL I nst ant Messenger, which allow I nt ernet users t o com m unicat e in real t im e wit h correspondent s who are on t he I nt ernet at t he sam e t im e. Should PR people be preparing t o use inst ant m essaging as a vehicle for dist ribut ing st ory pit ches? Given t he t echnology's abilit y t o int errupt and int rude on what a j ournalist is doing, we're inclined t o recom m end lim it ing it s use t o t hose cases in which you have t he perm ission of t he j ournalist . I t 's not hard t o im agine t hat som e report ers who follow one of your client s' brands or your own com pany's brand very closely m ight be willing t o divulge t heir inst ant m essenger nam es t o you if t hey know t he t echnology will be used only for m aking t hem aware of unscheduled im port ant announcem ent s, like t he resignat ion of a CEO. Ot her report ers, t hough, are likely t o consider t heir inst ant m essenger nam es t o be offlim it s t o anyone out side t heir t ight circle of friends and fam ily m em bers. Technology is definit ely changing t he rules of t he gam e t hat we play and we will all have t o sort out what accept able pract ices are in t his new environm ent . That 's a t opic we'll t ackle in a fut ure chapt er.

Ta ble 2 - 6 . W h a t Te e n s Ar e D oin g ( Pe r ce n t a ge W h o H a ve Use d t h e N e t for t h e Follow in g Act ivit ie s) A CTI VI TY

PERCEN T

Send or read e- m ail

92

Surf t he Web for fun

84

Visit an ent ert ainm ent sit e

83

Send an inst ant m essage

74

Look for inform at ion on hobbies

69

Get news

68

Play or download a gam e

66

Research a product or service before buying it

66

List en t o m usic online

59

Visit a chat room

55

Download m usic files

53

Check sport s scores

47

Visit a sit e for a club or t eam t hat t hey are a m em ber of

39

Got t o sit e where t hey can express opinions

38

Buy som et hing

31

Visit sit es for t rading or selling t hings

31

Look for healt h- relat ed inform at ion

26

Creat e a Web page

24

Look for info on a t opic t hat is hard t o t alk about

18

Source: Pew I nt ernet & Am erican Life Proj ect Teens and Parent s Survey, Novem ber–Decem ber 2000. Margin of error is ± 4 percent .

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Broadband Is Coming Absent from m ost research about what people are doing online is any m ent ion of bandwidt h- hungry applicat ions, like downloading video. I t s oversight is prim arily t he result of t he I nt ernet 's current lim it ed capacit y, which is rapidly im proving. I t is a developm ent t hat should cause m ore public relat ions professionals t o consider put t ing Webcast s of press conferences online along wit h prom ot ional videos or TV com m ercials t hat could help t ie t oget her im ages of a client in t he online and offline worlds. I n t heory, a Webcast is a PR person's ideal t ool because it offers t he abilit y t o have large groups view a program t o build brand awareness. Technical glit ches, inadequat e bandwidt h, and firewall problem s in m any m edia com panies have given Webcast s a bad nam e, but t hat sit uat ion is changing fairly quickly. There is also renewed int erest in t he t echnology due t o cost and securit y concerns relat ed t o business t ravel. A Nielsen/ / Net Rat ings report issued in Oct ober 2001 found t hat 21 m illion people had used t he I nt ernet in t heir workplace t o view st ream ing m edia wit hin t he previous m ont h, an increase of 21 percent from t he sam e m ont h in 2000. Those looking at st ream ing video represent ed 56 percent of all I nt ernet users at work, which Jarvis Mak, a Net Rat ings senior I nt ernet analyst , described as " a crit ical m ass." [ 1] [ 1]

Nielsen/ / Net Rat ings press release, Oct ober 11, 2001.

Access t o broadband connect ions has also been growing in U.S. households as Digit al Subscriber Line ( DSL) and cable m odem service has becom e m ore widely available. Jupit er Media Met rix said in a report in lat e 2000 t hat t he growt h seen so far was slow com pared t o what will happen as t elephone and cable carriers bid prices down from t he $49- a- m ont h level t o am ount s m ore in line wit h what people are willing t o spend for t radit ional dial- up I nt ernet access. Jupit er said t he 8.6 m illion households wit h broadband access would grow t o 28.8 m illion in 2005 ( see Table 27) .

Ta ble 2 - 7 . Br oa dba n d H ou se h old Pr oj e ct ion s ( I n M illion s) 1999

No. of Households

1.8

2000

4.8

2001

8.6

2002

13.3

2003

18.5

Source: Jupit er Research, a division of Jupit erm edia Corporat ion. Originally published Novem ber 2000. [ Team LiB ]

2004

23.8

[ Team LiB ]

Online-Offline Transparency One final audience t rend wort h calling t o t he at t ent ion of public relat ions professionals is t he conclusion reached in several research report s about t he desire of I nt ernet users t o int eract wit h a com pany's online and offline operat ions as t ransparent ly as possible. This m eans t hat I nt ernet users want t he percept ion of t he com pany t hat t hey get online t o be consist ent wit h what t hey experience in t he st ores. They want t o be able t o buy som et hing from t he Web sit e and ret urn it in a local st ore wit hout having t o wait in line at t he post office t o m ail it back t o t he Web sit e's dist ribut ion cent er. A March 2001 Jupit er Media Met rix st udy, for exam ple, found t hat 83 percent of online buyers said t hey would like t o be able t o ret urn online purchases at offline st ores. Addit ionally, 59 percent of respondent s said t hat t hey would like t o order a product online and pick it up at an offline st ore. However, Jupit er analyst s found t hat only 18 percent of m ult ichannel ret ailers offered in- st ore pickup of it em s ordered online. Jupit er also found t hat 67 percent of online buyers said t hey expect ed st ore st aff m em bers t o be able t o view t heir online account inform at ion, which is rarely possible. " Mult ichannel ret ailers have been t reat ing t heir online and offline businesses as separat e ent it ies, but t hat 's not what consum ers want ," concluded Jupit er analyst David Daniels. [ 2] [ 2]

Jupit er Media Met rix press release, March 21, 2001.

Anot her Jupit er st udy released in July 2001 ham m ered on t he sam e point , not ing t hat young consum ers in part icular were fond of doing research online and t hen purchasing product s in st ores. Teens generally don't have credit cards, which are needed for online purchases, but t heir buying decisions are undoubt edly influenced by what t hey are learning t hrough searches of Am azon.com and ot her sit es, Jupit er said. " Since so few t eenagers purchase online, t he Web should be used as an addit ional m eans of branding and inform at ion dissem inat ion," said Jupit er analyst Jared Blank. " Players who do t his well ensure t hat t heir cust om er com m unicat ions, whet her it 's inform at ional or prom ot ional, share t he sam e m essaging on t he Web, in t heir cat alogs, and in t heir st ores." [ 3] [ 3]

Jupit er Media Met rix press release, July 18, 2001.

The lesson for public relat ions professionals, t herefore, is t o push hard t o break down barriers wit hin t he com panies you are working wit h t o ensure t hat t heir public faces and pronouncem ent s are consist ent , regardless of whet her t hey're com m unicat ing online or offline. We'd be rem iss, however, if we failed t o include at least som e not e of caut ion at t his point given t he public's dem onst rat ed uneasiness wit h being wat ched t oo closely. Alt hough consum ers say t hey want t o int eract wit h online and offline arm s of a com pany and generally em brace t he not ion of receiving specially t arget ed prom ot ional offers, t hey also express huge concerns about t he dat abases of personal inform at ion and purchasing hist ories t hat enable large ret ailers t o offer such feat ures. We'll t alk m ore in Chapt er 13 about t he im port ance of having a prom inent privacy st at em ent t hat helps t o explain your inform at ion pract ices. I n our next chapt er, we aim t o help you zero in on what , in part icular, I nt ernet users

want from your Web sit e and t hose of your client s. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 3. Knowing What Your Public Wants Underst anding cust om ers' needs is st ill im port ant . Thorough research is needed t o m eet cust om ers' expect at ions. Cont inued research helps you refine your online approach. Once you've digest ed all t hat secondary research from Net Rat ings, Gart ner, and t heir com pet it ors, you'll probably be feeling ready t o t ake t he I nt ernet by st orm . We're sure you'll have ideas about how t o com m unicat e wit h report ers and consum ers online given your knowledge about overall dem ographics of t he online populat ion, proj ect ions of high- speed access, and ot her fact ors. So, you're ready t o get cracking, right ? Not so fast . We t hink you've only j ust begun t o lay t he groundwork for effect ively using t he I nt ernet for represent ing your client . What do you really know about what t hese I nt ernet users want from your client ? Underst anding t he needs of t he audience you're com m unicat ing wit h is st ill a fundam ent al t enet of sound public relat ions regardless of whet her you're reaching people online or offline. Unfort unat ely, it was one principle t hat was frequent ly overlooked during t he height of dot - com m ania. We can recall at least one uncom fort able sit uat ion at a PR indust ry m eet ing where we cit ed t he need for cont inuing research int o t he needs of a client 's const it uent s, only t o have our suggest ion m et wit h blank st ares and im pat ient sighs from ot her PR professionals in t he room . Many of t hem were operat ing on I nt ernet t im e, aft er all, and couldn't be bot hered wit h t oo m uch research. " Deploy, deploy, deploy! " was t heir m ant ra. However, as we've not ed previously, t he end t o I nt ernet t im e is a good t hing. We all need t o t ake t he t im e t o underst and m ore clearly what people are expect ing from our client s online. Failing t o m eet t heir expect at ions am ount s t o a recipe for t arnishing a client 's reput at ion—which is t he ult im at e sign of a PR person's failure.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Understanding What People Expect of Your Client Online The different const it uent s of PR professionals should be considered separat ely in evaluat ing t heir needs. We should all have experience in t rying t o keep up wit h what report ers and analyst s need. Knowing what a publicat ion covers and how it approaches st ories has always been im port ant t o PR people. However, t he rise of t he I nt ernet should cause us t o re- evaluat e what we t hink we know about t he int erest s of all t hose nam es in our m edia dat abases. I s t his part icular m agazine st ill int erest ed in t he sam e t ype of st ories now t hat it has a Web sit e t hat is updat ed daily wit h breaking news? I s t here a separat e st aff responsible for t he Web sit e? I f t here is only one edit orial st aff for Web and print product s, is it possible t hat report ers m ight be m ore open t o pit ches for short , focused st ories t hat could be developed quickly for t he Web sit e? I s t his report er now also m ore willing t o book press t our visit s in his or her office given his or her increased deadline pressures and t he t ight ness of t ravel budget s in lean t im es? I t 's also wort hwhile t o keep up wit h how your m edia sources are feeling about I nt ernet t echnology. Are t he old- fashioned fax lovers now m ore willing t o accept pit ches via e- m ail? What t ypes of t hings do j ournalist s and analyst s expect t o find on your client 's Web sit e? Do t hey want a searchable dat abase of old press releases? I f so, how m any years are sufficient ? Are t he j ournalist s on your press list now willing and able t o log on for Webcast s? Would t hey be int erest ed in receiving a periodic em ail newslet t er t hat would updat e t hem on your client 's not able achievem ent s? Keeping up wit h j ournalist s' preferences is probably old hat for a lot of PR professionals and we'll t alk m ore in Chapt er 4 about new I nt ernet t ools t hat can help you get t he j ob done. However, t he new t ask brought on by t he rise of t he I nt ernet is ident ifying t he needs of pot ent ial cust om ers and business part ners who are int eract ing wit h your client 's Web sit e or your com pany's Web sit e in t he case of an in- house PR professional. As we not ed in previous chapt ers, public relat ions is now m ore public t han ever and it is im port ant t o prot ect ing your client 's reput at ion t hat you becom e aware of exact ly what individuals are seeking from t he client online so t hat you can sat isfy t hose expect at ions.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Factors Affecting Your Online Communications Strategy The lat e Am erican psychologist Abraham Maslow was a pioneer in researching how people are driven by needs. He arranged needs in a hierarchy wit h lower level needs ( physiological needs) —such as food, wat er, and shelt er—needing t o be sat isfied before t he higher level needs ( self- act ualizat ion needs) such as self- developm ent are reached. According t o Maslow, when a person has sat isfied a part icular need, he or she st rives t o reach higher levels. Following Maslow's t heory, it can be argued t hat every audience has a needs hierarchy t hat m ust be sat isfied on som e level if a com pany is going t o m ake a posit ive im pression on t hat audience. To sat isfy needs on a higher level, com m unicat ion and posit ive int eract ion wit h t he brand m ust rem ain const ant . This is not easy t o achieve on t he I nt ernet , as m any brands have experienced t hus far. Technology can be unpredict able and oft en frust rat ing. Unt il t he m edium is perfect ed t o suit every t ype of user from t he innovat or t o even a laggard ( if t hat 's possible) , t he challenge t o sat isfy cont inually int ensifies. Wit h each passing day, groups are using t he I nt ernet m ore and expect ing m ore from any brand wit h which t hey choose t o int eract . Det erm ining t he needs of t hose int eract ing wit h your client online requires you t o know som et hing about t he m acro and m icro environm ent al fact ors t hat shape t heir needs. The m acro fact ors are t he kinds of t hings t hat you can learn about t hrough a review of t he secondary research t hat we discussed in Chapt er 2. They include indicat ors such as t he following: D e m ogr a ph ic fa ct or s: World populat ion growt h, populat ion age m ix, et hnic m arket s, educat ional groups, household pat t erns, and so on. Econ om ic fa ct or s: I ncom e dist ribut ion, debt , credit availabilit y, and so on. Te ch n ologica l fa ct or s: Pace of t echnology, opport unit y for innovat ion, increased regulat ion for t echnological change. Polit ica l a n d le ga l e n vir on m e n t : Legislat ion affect ing businesses, prot ect ion from unfair com pet it ion, consum er prot ect ion and privacy issues, and so on. Socia l fa ct or s: Audience views of t hem selves, views of ot hers, views of societ y, and so on. The m icro environm ent al fact ors t hat shape your audience's needs are closely relat ed t o a person's general lifest yle and are gat hered by using prim ary, first hand research t ools like online surveys of sit e visit ors. These fact ors include t he following: Cu lt u r a l fa ct or s: Cult ure, subcult ures, social class, and so on. Socia l fa ct or s: Reference groups, fam ily, roles, st at us, and so on. Pe r son a l fa ct or s: St age of t he life cycle, occupat ion, econom ic circum st ances, lifest yle, personalit y, and so on.

Psych ologica l fa ct or s: Mot ivat ion, percept ions, learning, beliefs, at t it udes. The relat ive im port ance of t hese various fact ors t o your online com m unicat ions st rat egy is going t o vary based on t he t ype of audience you're addressing. I f you're developing a plan for a business- t o- business com pany seeking t o sell it s widget s t o m anufact urers, it 's probably less im port ant t o know about t he lifest yles and personalit ies of your online visit ors and m ore im port ant t o know about econom ic fact ors such as credit availabilit y. On t he ot her hand, som eone craft ing an online com m unicat ions st rat egy for a consum er- orient ed com pany, like a cosm et ics ret ailer, would be very int erest ed in knowing about t he cult ural fact ors affect ing it s online users. Such a com pany m ight want t o know about t he age, race, et hnicit y, econom ic circum st ances, and percept ions of it s online visit ors. We'll t alk m ore in Chapt er 5 about t ools t hat can be used t o gat her t his inform at ion, but our purpose here is t o point out t he t ypes of inform at ion t hat you need t o know t o be a bet t er online com m unicat or. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Ongoing Research Is Critical We recognize t hat our devot ion t o t horough research m ight not necessarily be shared by all your client s—especially t hose m ost eager t o get t o m arket now and figure out audience charact erist ics lat er. We nevert heless urge you t o press hard for such research not only for t he benefit of craft ing t he PR m essage, but also t o ensure t he overall success of what ever t he client is selling. Thinking t hrough t he needs of t he int ended audience is an im port ant exercise in solidly posit ioning a com pany. One useful approach t o figuring out what users expect from your client 's Web sit e is t o consider a t heory known as t he " five levels of product benefit s," which suggest s t hat cust om ers who com e t o you t o fulfill a basic need can be ret ained as you dem onst rat e t he abilit y t o m eet t heir needs as t hose needs becom e m ore com plex. [ 1] An exam ple com m only cit ed in t ext books such as Kot ler's Market ing Managem ent : Millennium Edit ion is based on t he needs t hat hot els usually fulfill for t heir guest s. This exam ple explains t hat guest s of a hot el com e t o st ay for t he m ost fundam ent al, core benefit , which is a place t o sleep. The second level or basic product provides t he hot el cust om er wit h t he necessit ies, including a bed and a bat hroom . The t hird level or t he expect ed product is a st ep up t oward m ore cust om er value wit h t he cust om er expect ing clean facilit ies and a room t hat is neat and t idy. The next level of sat isfact ion is t he augm ent ed product , a level t hat is m eant t o exceed cust om er expect at ions. A hot el room t hat includes HBO and Showt im e and perhaps m int s on a pillow m ight qualify as an augm ent ed product . The final level of perceived cust om er value is t he pot ent ial product or t he level t hat seeks t o be everyt hing and m ore t o it s cust om er. At t his level of sat isfact ion, t he hot el guest s are delight ed at t he great lengt hs t he hot el goes t o sat isfy a variet y of needs. However, as st at ed, wit h different levels of int eract ion by various groups of people, it is necessary for brands online t o prepare t o sat isfy expect at ions of several groups, or know what it t akes t o sat isfy t hat one group at all t im es. [ 2] Research is crucial t o ident ify t his inform at ion. [ 1] Kot ler, Philip, Market ing Managem ent ( The New Millennium Edit ion) , Prent ice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2000. [ 2] Kot ler, Philip, Market ing Managem ent ( The New Millennium Edit ion) , Prent ice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2000.

Let 's t ake t he exam ple of a dot - com t hat launched in 1999 called RegionalHelpWant ed.com ( regionalhelpwant ed.com ) . This is a pure e- brand t hat m akes it s m oney ( yes, believe it or not , t he e- brand m akes m oney) by part nering wit h local radio broadcast st at ions t o design, build, and m aint ain Web sit es t hroughout t he count ry. The goals of t he regional sit es are t o capit alize on t he fact t hat m ost help want ed advert ising is local ( not nat ional) and t o get radio's fair share of t he daily newspapers' $8 billion in annual help want ed revenues. RegionalHelpWant ed.com helped it self in m arket posit ioning by researching local audiences, including radio st at ion owners, local m erchant s, and j ob- seeking candidat es. I f we were t o apply t he five levels of product benefit s t o t his I nt ernet brand it would break down in t he following way: Cor e pr odu ct : RegionalHelpWant ed.com sit es allow j ob seekers t o find opport unit ies and advert isers t o post j ob list ings.

Ba sic pr odu ct : Job seekers can navigat e t he sit e quickly t o search for j ob opport unit ies locally and t o post résum és. Recruit ers can place ads and m aint ain recruit er account inform at ion easily. Ex pe ct e d pr odu ct : A local em ploym ent sit e ( t he nam e gives t he expect at ion) wit h easy inst ruct ions, quick access t o inform at ion, and no lengt hy regist rat ion process. Au gm e n t e d pr odu ct : A high level of cust om er service wit h t he abilit y t o click on a live chat t o ask quest ions or cont act a sales represent at ive im m ediat ely. I t 's a sim ple process, as basic as reading a newspaper. Pot e n t ia l pr odu ct : RegionalHelpWant ed.com sit es st rive t o offer bet t er services for t heir cust om ers and look t o include addit ional services including real est at e and classified ad list ings. Working wit h a client t o consider how it s offerings fit wit h t he five levels of product benefit s can be difficult because it can force a client t o m ake som e m aj or decisions: What does t he client want it s brand t o be? Which product level is t he com pany aim ing t o sat isfy? Where does t he t arget audience sit on t he spect rum of t echnological savviness? Can t he client , for exam ple, realist ically hope t o deliver an augm ent ed product t o an audience of innovat ors and early adopt ers? Many brands launched on t he I nt ernet realized early on t hat t hey would not be able t o provide augm ent ed or pot ent ial product s. They correct ly t ried t o keep t hings sim ple, aim ing t o provide a reliable basic or expect ed product . However, m any com panies failed t o see t hat t heir early cust om ers were early adopt ers or early m aj orit y t echnology users who dem anded increasingly sophist icat ed feat ures on Web sit es. They want ed m ore t han cat alog list ings from an online ret ailer. They want ed phot os of t he it em s. They want ed t he abilit y t o cust om ize m erchandise. They want ed t he abilit y t o t rack t heir deliveries t hrough FedEx or UPS. They want ed t o be rewarded for t heir loyalt y wit h point s t hat could be used at ot her sit es or for air t ravel. Then, on t he ot her hand, t here were brands t hat offered sophist icat ed feat ures, such as Flash and Shockwave applicat ions and 3D anim at ion, and found out quickly t hat t heir audience did not find t he glit z and glam our so appealing. I n essence, t hey were looking for sim ple funct ionalit y and a bet t er way t o com m unicat e wit h t heir favored brands. Ult im at ely, m any brands suffered great losses—losses t hat perhaps could have been avoided if appropriat e research was done on audience needs, expect at ions, and t echnological underst anding. Rem em ber t hat a brand present on t he I nt ernet needs t o com m unicat e t he sam e consist ent m essage, design, and im age. The brand m ust t ransm it t he sam e value sought by it s cust om ers regardless of t he com m unicat ion channel. Building value is an inherent part of branding t hat is aut om at ically t ied t o a com pany's im age and reput at ion. There's not a m om ent when a PR person is not concerned about get t ing t he right m essages t o t he right audience and elicit ing a posit ive public react ion as a result of t he com m unicat ion. A good exam ple of a brand t hat vent ured ont o t he I nt ernet and discovered early on how t o sat isfy it s cust om ers' needs is Ceridian, a business solut ions com pany t hat developed a payroll and hum an resources adm inist rat ion service online for sm all businesses. Ceridian had a unit called MiniDat a t hat provided payroll services t o sm all business prim arily t hrough t elephone or facsim ile com m unicat ions. The st art of t he 1990s saw t he advent of propriet ary soft ware, which enabled Ceridian's client s t o have soft ware on t heir com put er syst em s t o process payroll t ransact ions via a

m odem using t elephone lines. The launch of Powerpay ( powerpay.com ) t ook Ceridian's service t o st ill a higher level by m aking it possible for client s t o process payroll t ransact ions anyt im e, anywhere, regardless of whet her a com put er was loaded wit h t he propriet ary soft ware. Ceridian's ext ensive and ongoing research had enabled it t o predict and m eet t he needs of it s I nt ernet - using cust om ers. I f we were t o apply t he five levels of product benefit s t o t his I nt ernet brand, it would break down t his way: Cor e pr odu ct : Sim ple payroll service. Ba sic pr odu ct : Payroll wit h t ax filing service. Ex pe ct e d Pr odu ct : Cust om ers receive a high level of accuracy, affordable payroll service rat es, and t im ely delivery of checks for t heir em ployees ( exceeding t he expect at ions of t he offline payroll service and living up t o a hist orical prom ise) . Au gm e n t e d pr odu ct : Via t he I nt ernet , cust om ers have t he abilit y t o easily link t o st rat egic part ners for various opport unit ies and opt im al services. Pot e n t ia l pr odu ct : Expanding t o include real- t im e services t hat are not available offline including a hum an resources syst em t hat connect s t o payroll ( 401k plan) and sam e- day report ing for easier discussion bet ween client s and t heir account ing firm s. Ceridian's abilit y t o sat isfy it s client s' needs and exceed expect at ions has result ed in ongoing relat ionships wit h t he brand's st akeholders. Years of cont inuing focus group research and usabilit y st udies have led t o m any successes for t he brand and posit ive public opinion. Now t hat t he online payroll service has been launched, is it necessary for Ceridian t o cont inue t o put so m uch em phasis on researching new I nt ernet effort s? Should t he com pany be invest ing in research as a m eans t o preserve reput at ion, im age, and t he sat isfact ion level of users even aft er a brand is already successful? The answer again is yes, absolut ely. Rem em ber, once a prom ise, always a prom ise from t hat brand. That 's one reason why Microsoft 's free e- m ail service Hot m ail has done well when so m any ot her free ad- support ed e- m ail providers have failed. Hot m ail is a recognized brand because it grew quickly as a result of it s uncom plicat ed nat ure. I t enables users t o regist er prom pt ly and m aint ain a free e- m ail account t hrough MSN.com . Over t he past couple of years, MSN has cared about it s im age and t he needs of t he Hot m ail subscribers. Such concern is evident wit h t he frequent change of t he Hot m ail Web design for sim plified operat ion. Use of Hot m ail is convenient and it provides an easy m eans for users t o organize incom ing m ail. The sit e downloads quickly ( also t ypical of MSN) and encom passes a sit e layout and navigat ion t hat is self- explanat ory and absolut ely m indless t o operat e. The expect at ion for every user is ease of use. Clearly, Microsoft has not skim ped on what ever research has been needed t o m eet t hese expect at ions. Anot her good exam ple of a com pany t hat em ploys research and changes wit h t he needs of it s audience is 1- 800- GI FT CERTI FI CATE ( 800gift cert ificat e.com ) , a brand t hat prides it self on t aking t he t im e t o know it s cust om ers. Like m any dot - com s, 1800- GI FT CERTI FI CATE launched it s sit e during t he I nt ernet boom , in hopes of at t ract ing and ret ain a large consum er audience. " I t didn't t ake long for us t o revise t he sit e," st at ed Dan Horne, direct or of research. " We quickly got int o t he habit of

evaluat ing what ot hers did. We're very fort unat e t o have people on board wit h t alent and who work hard t o analyze and t weak t he sit e." 1- 800- GI FT CERTI FI CATE did not let t he t im e pressures of being a st art up affect it s abilit y t o build a funct ionally successful sit e. However, despit e t he funct ionalit y, Horne discussed wit h us how t hrough cont inued research, 1- 800- GI FT CERTI FI CATE changed it s audience focus from a consum er- orient ed sit e t o a corporat e, business- m inded sit e. As t he com pany grew, along wit h t he growt h cam e m ore resources. Horne felt early on t hat t he com pany needed a consist ent look and feel t o all cust om er groups and t hat in t he beginning it was t rying t o be everyt hing all at once. I n addit ion, alt hough t he com pany was posit ive about t he product offering, what was excit ing t o m anagem ent was not necessarily excit ing t o cust om ers. 1- 800- GI FT CERTI FI CATE t ook t he t im e t o evaluat e cust om er habit s and click- t hrough rat es. " Every person in t he com pany was on t he t elephone t alking t o cust om ers—even com pany president Mike Derm er," st at ed Horne. The inform at ion from cust om er feedback and sit e t raffic led t o a new direct ion for t he com pany. 1- 800- GI FT CERTI FI CATE relaunched it s Web sit e in Decem ber 2001. Sim plicit y and a clean look and feel are t he m ost apparent changes. Managem ent decided t hat all t he fancy feat ures ( e.g., holiday rem inders and gift calendars) were not necessary. " They j ust slowed t he cust om er down," Horne st at ed. I t was at t his point t hat 1800- GI FT CERTI FI CATE began t he shift of audience focus. The com pany found t hat corporat e audiences m ade up alm ost 90 percent of t he com pany's sit e t raffic. However, t here were st ill som e consum er elem ent s t hat rem ained. The revam ped sit e is easy for t he business purchaser t o get in and get out of quickly and easily. Horne also not ed t hat corporat e dem o program s including Point s Express were especially at t ract ive t o business buyers. 1- 800- GI FT CERTI FI CATE is a great exam ple of a com pany t hat was fort unat e t o realize early t he im port ance of research and how t o apply t he findings t o it s Web sit e design. " We were very careful all t he way t hrough. Most com panies t hat st art out on t he I nt ernet work in a vacuum . Not us, we were const ant ly in cont act wit h t he cust om ers," st at ed Horne. " And, all t hrough t he process, m any people were involved," he added. Horne explained t hat t his slower, m ore conservat ive approach led t o a t hought process t hat m ore dot - com s should have adhered t o. I t 's fine t o st ep back, wait a m inut e, and det erm ine if t here is value t o t he cust om er. Horne, who has a PhD in m arket ing research, described 1- 800- GI FT CERTI FI CATE as a logical com pany t hat is t heoret ically driven. " I t 's t he way t hat academ ia [ t heory] and business should work t oget her and it cert ainly worked for our com pany." Before get t ing on wit h our discussion of t he t ools t hat can aid you in researching t he needs of report ers ( Chapt er 4) , we'll reit erat e once m ore t he need for PR professionals t o t hink in broader t erm s in t he new I nt ernet age. Public relat ions has t o be about m ore t han j ust inform at ion dissem inat ion because t he I nt ernet can accom plish t hat t ask so well on it s own. PR is increasingly about reput at ion m anagem ent . To serve t heir client s well, PR professionals m ust have access t o t he research t hat 's needed t o t arget t he right m essages t o t he right audiences and t hen t o m onit or t hose m essages. At all t im es, research int elligence m ust cont inually be added t o t he com m unicat ion process.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 4. Knowing What the News Media Want Web sit es of news organizat ions t ell you what t hey cover. Online m edia guides supercede t heir paper ancest ors. Newslet t ers and ot her resources can help you refine your approach. Wouldn't it be wonderful if every j ournalist t hat you pit ched t ook a m om ent t o t hank you for your valuable t im e, effort , and inform at ion? I m agine if every t im e you pit ched an edit or or producer, your client fit perfect ly int o his or her print st ory or broadcast program —im peccable t im ing! Bet t er yet , could you envision get t ing a cover st ory for your client m ont h aft er m ont h because you did your hom ework? Now wake up. Let 's com e back t o realit y. From experience, we all know t hat great successes do not occur for every PR professional every day. However, we also know t hat success oft en com es from building solid relat ionships wit h j ournalist s, and such relat ionships can be built m ore quickly by using t he I nt ernet t o gat her m ore det ailed inform at ion about t he publicat ions or broadcast s you are t arget ing and about t he j ournalist s t hem selves. A PR person who dem onst rat es fam iliarit y wit h t he work of t he people he or she is cont act ing is always going t o be t aken m ore seriously. This t opic calls t o m ind an em barrassing st ory t hat we're sure is sim ilar t o experiences t hat m any public relat ions professionals have had at som e point in t heir careers. A young wom an was excit ed t o get a correspondent 's at t ent ion at The Journal of Com m erce. The correspondent was int erest ed in her client , a firm t hat specialized in invest igat ing whit e- collar crim e, em bezzlem ent , and espionage. The young wom an had used Burrelle's Media Guides at t he t im e t o research t he newspaper, a cent ury- old publicat ion based in New York Cit y. The direct ory inform at ion was helpful, but cert ainly not updat ed t o reflect t he changes in t he m edia business. Only a week earlier she had received a lead from anot her edit or of a logist ics publicat ion who recom m ended she call The Journal of Com m erce. So, wit h a referral nam e ( we all do a lit t le nam e dropping here and t here) and all of her prior research, she t hought she had a sure t icket t o an edit orial placem ent . She felt she was ready t o t alk wit h t he correspondent t o pit ch her client 's business. When she had t he correspondent on t he t elephone, t he conversat ion st art ed out sm oot hly. He was asking her quest ions about her client 's involvem ent in undercover operat ions and she was fielding t he quest ions as well as any knowledgeable professional would. However, t he conversat ion t ook a t urn for t he worse when t he young wom an offered som e out dat ed inform at ion t hat she had obt ained from t he m edia guide t o t he correspondent . He, in t urn, st at ed in a sharpened t one, " You're lucky m y edit or did not hear you say t hat . . . don't you follow our publicat ion? We've m ade so m any changes." He went on t o furt her degrade her and said, " My edit or would have scrapped t his art icle by now. That 's what 's wrong wit h you PR people. You don't do your research but expect us t o use you for a st ory in our publicat ion." The young

wom an, feeling t errible about t he t urn of event s, apologized t o t he correspondent ( for lack of anyt hing bet t er t o do) and hung up t he t elephone, realizing t hat pit ching a correspondent went beyond t he sim ple inform at ion list ed in a Burrelle's book. I t was a rude awakening. Unt il t hat day, she t hought she had done her hom ework. The lesson learned in t his scenario is t hat you can never have enough inform at ion about your audience and finding t he t ools t o uncover updat ed inform at ion in real t im e is cert ainly valuable t o a career t hat dem ands const ant awareness and knowledge of m any different indust ries. From t he m edia's point of view, a j ob as an edit or, j ournalist , or producer is t ough enough wit hout giving up t im e t o correspond wit h public relat ions people who are not fam iliar wit h t heir publicat ions. Media people need t o work wit h knowledgeable professionals who underst and t heir needs and t he needs of a m edia out let , and t he feedback from j ournalist s on t his t opic is not good ( see t he "I nt erviews" sect ion on page 47 of t his chapt er) . They cont inually com plain about PR people who don't know t he frequency of t heir publicat ions or t he lead t im es for st ory developm ent , and don't have a basic underst anding of whet her a publicat ion is t arget ed at consum ers or a business- t o- business audience. What exact ly should t oday's PR professional be doing? The rules of et iquet t e for dealing wit h t he m edia are probably not m uch different t han t hey were decades ago. These are t he basics: Know when j ournalist s are on deadline and don't reach out t o t hem at t his tim e. Underst and t he j ournalist 's publicat ion ( circulat ion, breakdown of depart m ent s, t arget audience, et c.) . Realize t hat j ournalist s are looking for inform at ion t hat is relevant t o t heir st ories; t ake t he t im e t o research t heir writ ing st yle and t rends t hat int erest t hem . Read a j ournalist 's colum n or past art icles t o get a feel for his or her int erest s. Look up a j ournalist 's background; dig a lit t le deeper int o his or her hobbies and personal inform at ion, if possible. I dent ify t he m anners in which t he j ournalist want s t o be cont act ed. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Media Web Sites What has changed in t he past decade is your abilit y t o use t he I nt ernet t o gat her t his t ype of inform at ion. The place t o st art is wit h t he Web sit es of t he publicat ions t hem selves. Many publicat ions have recognized t he efficiencies involved in m aking sure t hat PR people do not wast e report ers' t im e wit h m isplaced pit ches, so t hey've placed special inst ruct ions on t heir Web sit es for PR professionals. I nt ernet Week, which CMP Media shut down in 2002, had an online guide called " Rules of Engagem ent " t hat provided a list of report ers and t heir beat s and a brief lesson on t he publicat ion's m ission and it s readership, as well as it s policies concerning exclusives, em bargoes, and vendor- writ t en st ories. ( The guide was st ill online t he last t im e we checked at int ernet week.com / pr ) Many ot her publicat ions, such as I ndust ryWeek and Medical Econom ics offer sim ilar inform at ion in t he " About Us" or " Cont act Us" sect ions of t heir Web sit es. A few ot hers, such as BusinessWeek and Com put erWorld, sim ply offer updat ed m ast heads online, which provide e- m ail links for st aff writ ers. The Web sit es of publicat ions can also be helpful in det erm ining who at t he publicat ion has writ t en m ost recent ly about your client or it s indust ry. Many sit es include archives of back issues, which you can search t o det erm ine what t he publicat ion has writ t en about digit al cam eras or Nikon, for exam ple. I f you've already ident ified a writ er t o pit ch, it is oft en possible t o do a search for t hat person's last nam e t o det erm ine what he or she has been up t o recent ly. Finally, a growing num ber of news organizat ions—especially in t he t rade press—are urging t heir report ers t o be m ore accessible t o readers and are t rying t o raise t he profile of t heir publicat ions by having t heir report ers feat ured as expert s in t he m ainst ream m edia. These t wo goals have led m agazines t o publish biographies of t heir edit ors online, which can som et im es be helpful t o PR people who are preparing pit ches. The online bio of Lew McCreary of CI O Magazine, for exam ple, includes t he nam es of his t wo novels. An ent erprising PR person m ight win favor wit h McCreary by t aking t he nam es of his novels t o t he Am azon.com sit e, where it is possible t o read excerpt s of his lat est book and learn t hat it was m ade int o a Hollywood m ovie.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Third-Party Resources Of course, every publicat ion you want t o pit ch is not going t o offer help on it s Web sit e. For t his reason, t here are num erous t hird- part y sources of dat a on t he I nt ernet t hat can help you research publicat ions and j ournalist s. I f you were t o t ype int o a Yahoo! search engine " Online PR Resources," approxim at ely 142,000 Web pages would be available t o peruse. Sim ilarly, an MSN.com search for t he sam e inquiry would reveal 231,218 possible ent ries. These t rem endous num bers are m ore overwhelm ing t han useful, so we'll save you som e t im e and energy wit h a handful of best picks and valuable resources t hat we've encount ered. Of course, t here are m ore but t hese are surely a good st art : Bacon's Online Media Dat abase Business Wire's PR Services ProfNet CyberAlert ( cyberalert .com ) , eWat ch ( ewat ch.com ) , and Burrelle's ( burrelles.com ) Press- Release- Writ ing.com newslet t er, PR Fuel newslet t er, and Expert PR newslet t er O'Dwyer's PR Daily newslet t er These resources should give you a t rem endous am ount of inform at ion t o bet t er prepare you t o com m unicat e wit h t he m edia. Let 's discuss each one wit h respect t o it s pot ent ial for researching m edia cont act s, pit ching bet t er st ory angles, dist ribut ing news releases, and m onit oring com m unicat ion. At t he t op of t he list is Bacon's Online Dat abases for m edia cont act s. Bacon's is an old- t im e PR resource t hat has com e a long way t o keep up wit h t he needs of professionals as t echnology advances. The Bacon's books of t he past are now available online wit h real- t im e updat es ( approxim at ely 5,000 daily) and m ore t han 500,000 j ournalist s and m edia out let s for review. PR professionals not only receive cont act inform at ion, but a wealt h of inform at ion t o aid in t he relat ionship- building process. I t 's j ust a m at t er of m aking enough t im e t o peruse what t he online dat abases have t o offer. The service, which is priced at approxim at ely $3,000 for a year- long cont ract and an addit ional $300 for m ore t han one user, allows PR people t o access t he following dat a quickly and wit h reasonable assurance t hat it is up- t odat e: Cont act inform at ion, including e- m ail addresses General overview of a m edia out let Pit ching t ips for a part icular m edia person

Merge list capabilit ies for m ailings Edit orial calendars We've asked a few PR represent at ives t heir opinions of Bacon's online dat abases. Aft er all, t he senior- level professionals m ake t he decision on t he service but t he account execut ives, assist ant account execut ives, and int erns are t he individuals who have t he pleasure of using t he service. I t 's am azing t hat no m at t er how quickly users can log on t o baconsm ediasource.com and ent er t heir password t o access inform at ion, it 's j ust never quick enough for young PR represent at ives. Aft er speaking wit h several Generat ion- Y public relat ions people, we've com e t o t he conclusion t hat for t his age group, no t echnology will ever be considered t o be in " Gen- Y t im e." Then, t here are t he m em bers of Gen- X, who have been exposed t o slower t echnologies and m anual m et hods. On t he cont rary, t hey are am azed at t he abilit y t o use Bacon's for creat ing m edia list s wit h hundreds of j ournalist s ( using specific search crit eria for bet t er m edia t arget ing) . Obviously, Gen- Y did not have t he pleasure of using t he Bacon's Media Guides of t he past . I n any case, ot her t han t he usual t echnological glit ch here and t here, Bacon's Online is t ruly an asset t o a PR agency. I t 's sim ple and Bacon's aim s t o please all groups along t he spect rum of t echnology adopt ers, wit h funct ions for t he m ore t echnologically savvy and feat ures for t he less sophist icat ed. Most groups are consist ent ly pleased wit h Bacon's service and it s online int eract ive dat abases for PR m edia research. Business Wire is anot her PR t ool of m onum ent al im port ance. Wit h m any wire services t o choose from , we feel Business Wire st ands apart from t he crowd wit h it s broad reach, reasonable pricing st ruct ure, and helpful cust om er service depart m ent . When a colleague of ours reached out t o Business Wire because she was being crit icized by a client for a news release t hat went over t he wire, she received im m ediat e at t ent ion from her sales represent at ive. I nit ially, t he wom an wrot e an em ail not e t o her represent at ive st at ing, " We've got a doubt ing Thom as on our hands . . . He want s t o know if we used t he right circuit t o launch his release." She passed along t he nam es of ot her news wire services t hat t he doubt ing Thom as had suggest ed using. Wit hin a few hours of her inquiry, t he represent at ive wrot e back wit h a com plet e breakdown of t he circuit t hat had been used, inform at ion revealing t he m edia out let s cont act ed, and proof t hat t he ot her wire services t hat t he doubt ing Thom as had suggest ed act ually used Business Wire as well. The wom an was able t o squelch t he negat ivism from her client and Business Wire rem ained t he com pany's choice for news dist ribut ion. Business Wire is known in t he indust ry for it s abilit y t o deliver news t o m ore news sources t han any ot her dist ribut or and it uses t echnology t o rem ain on t he leading edge of news dist ribut ion. Business Wire covers a huge range of indust ries and PR professionals are able t o t arget m essages t o t he appropriat e circuit s whet her t hey are of nat ional or regional dist ribut ion or narrowed down t o high- t ech, ent ert ainm ent , sport s, or healt h wires. I n addit ion, wit h an online sign- up dist ribut ion syst em , it 's sim ple for t he PR professional t o input all of t he news release inform at ion and dist ribut ion inst ruct ions for Business Wire t o deliver t o t he appropriat e circuit s via t he I nt ernet . Ot her int erest ing feat ures include t he abilit y t o add m ult im edia int o a news release. Wit h t he Sm art News release, a com pany can incorporat e logos, video, audio, Flash m at erials, phot os, graphics, or a slide show—cert ainly richer t han t he faxed news releases of t he past . Business Wire m ight act ually be pulling som e PR agencies int o t he fut ure wit h t his service. More and m ore, execut ives are asking for graphics in news releases. One such incident occurred at Greg Manning Auct ion's Telet rade when it announced it s Prem ierPlus auct ion. A new VP at Greg Manning, who had recent ly com e over from Sot heby's, inst ruct ed t he PR agency t o put graphics in t he

news release because he felt t rade publicat ions used such releases as st ories—headlines, graphics, and all. Aft er som e init ial hesit at ion, t he execut ive vice president at t he PR firm gave t he word: " I f our client want s graphics in t he release ( as long as t he file is not t oo heavy t o send via e- m ail) t hen don't worry about it . Don't t hink about what you used t o do—t his is how we're going t o do it t oday! " Anot her valuable t ool for PR professionals is ProfNet , I nc., a subsidiary of PR Newswire. ProfNet is used by bot h PR people and t he m edia as a place where j ournalist s and PR professionals can collaborat e and share expert resources in real t im e. Of t he m any useful feat ures on ProfNet , one of t he m ost helpful is t he abilit y t o receive e- m ails of j ournalist s' queries, and reach out t o j ournalist s wit h your client s' expert ise t o answer quest ions for t heir st ories. These queries are e- m ailed up t o four t im es a day in Nort h Am erica and t wo t im es a day in Europe. PR professionals also have access t o an expert s dat abase in which t hey can list t heir client s' profiles for j ournalist s t o peruse when searching for expert com m ent ary for t heir st ories. The obj ect ive of ProfNet is t o give j ournalist s t he abilit y t o reach qualified individuals quickly and convenient ly. The service goes so far as t o inst ruct expert s on t he net iquet t e of cont act ing j ournalist s. ProfNet st at es t hat a t hree- paragraph response t o t he j ournalist 's inquiry works best . The fist paragraph, of course, is t he client 's cont act inform at ion. The second paragraph is com posed of t he expert 's credent ials and t he last paragraph gives a sum m ary of t he expert 's t hought s on t he subj ect queried. Anyone concerned about what is being writ t en online or in print about t heir client s really needs t o subscribe t o an online clipping service offered by t he likes of CyberAlert , eWat ch, or Burrelle's. We t alk in great er det ail in Chapt er 10 about how t hese services work, but in short , t hey are generally affordable at a few hundred dollars a m ont h and ext rem ely im port ant t o PR people who are t rying t o det erm ine who is writ ing about t heir client s and t heir client s' com pet it ors. Elect ronic clippings, which are delivered m uch m ore rapidly t han old- fashioned paper clippings, can be even m ore valuable t han online m edia guides because t hey enable PR people t o see for t hem selves t he t ypes of art icles t hat a Web sit e or publicat ion covers and t he at t it udes and opinions t hat writ ers m ight reveal in t heir art icles. I f you are not planning t o use paid I nt ernet services for online dat abases, lead generat ion, dist ribut ion, or m onit oring services, t he I nt ernet is also a fant ast ic source of free indust ry knowledge t hat can help you refine your pract ices. Regist ering for com plim ent ary newslet t ers is an easy way t o gain insight on t opics such as t hese: News release writ ing t ips Media cont act s Pit ching ideas and guidelines New online PR t echniques Met hods t o int egrat e online and offline PR program s PR opport unit ies for sat urat ed m arket s Trend wat ching and m onit oring of com pet it ion Of t he m any newslet t ers ( and t here are an abundance t hat can show up in your

m ailbox) , som e of t he t ried- and- t rue sources t hat have survived t he dot - com collapse are PR Newswire's newslet t er ( press- release- writ ing.com ) , PR Fuel of eReleases (ereleases.com ) , and MediaMap's Expert PR Newslet t er ( m ediam ap.com / expert pr/ default .ht m ) . St art ing wit h Press- Release- Writ ing.com , how m uch can you writ e about a news release in a newslet t er? Plent y. This free newslet t er gives t he finer det ails of news release writ ing and oft en is a good rem inder of what we som et im es forget as we advance in our careers and get caught up in t he daily chaos of our j obs. However, Press- Release- Writ ing.com always m akes us feel t hat what we do is im port ant and it m ust be carefully developed. I t 's m ore t han j ust writ ing a news release in t he right form at and Associat ed Press ( AP) st yle. I t 's about t hose overlooked t echniques t hat we can incorporat e int o our writ ing t o get bet t er responses. For inst ance, t he newslet t er on August 15, 2001 cont ained a feat ure art icle t it led, " Nam e- Dropping Adds Fam iliarit y, Credibilit y t o a Press Release," which rem inded us of a sim ple but oft en overlooked t echnique t hat can easily be incorporat ed int o a release. As long as it 's legit im at e nam e dropping of Fort une 500 execut ives or celebrit ies, it is accept able; bet t er yet , put it in t he headline. A second favorit e newslet t er is eRelease's PR Fuel. I t s August 8, 2001, issue, called " Five St eps t o a Newswort hy NonProfit ," caused t hree PR professionals from t he sam e agency t o e- m ail one anot her wit h variat ions of t he sam e m essage: " Good st uff, check t his out ," " Definit ely wort h reading," and " Did you see t his?" Typical of t his newslet t er is it s abilit y t o get PR professionals t o underst and t heir audiences' needs and t o put t hem selves in t he reader's shoes, which furt her enforces t he need t o const ant ly do your research hom ework. A favorit e PR Fuel newslet t er focused on creat ing PR opport unit y when t here's very lit t le opport unit y available t o t he naked eye. Again, t his is a useful t ool t o m ake you t hink different ly about your client s and t he publicit y t hey receive. This art icle covered som e int erest ing t echniques focusing on t he I nt ernet 's abilit y t o quickly reach t he right m edia out let . This included everyt hing from " hot t opic" list s accom panied by a short not e t o a j ournalist and oped art icles, t o regist ering for speaking opport unit ies online, and perfect ing hom egrown m edia dat abases by cont inually researching t he Web sit es of m edia out let s. Expert PR, t he free publicat ion of MediaMap is also at t he t op of t he list of well- known online newslet t ers. MediaMap publishes m any art icles, usually focusing on current event s and t he views of PR professionals in t he news. Especially valuable are t he art icles t hat look at t he PR indust ry from t he perspect ive of it s client s. The August 23, 2001 issue of Expert PR, for exam ple, included an art icle t it led " Leaders Cit e Tight Budget s, Keep PR Work I n- House." I t explained, wit hout sugarcoat ing, t he difficult ies facing PR agencies in a t ough econom y and chronicled t he areas in which business execut ives said t he PR indust ry needed t o im prove. The last newslet t er wort h m ent ioning is O'Dwyer's PR Daily online ( odwyerpr.com ) . This resource is est ablished, well known, and t rust ed by indust ry professionals. Jack O'Dwyer is one of t he t rue PR gurus and he has put m ost of his newslet t ers on t he Web. The sit e is an excellent resource for professionals t o see what 's going on inside t he PR indust ry. I n addit ion, O'Dwyer's allows professionals t o access art icles and inform at ion on t he m edia. I t 's oft en said t hat , " Anyone who is anyone is writ t en about in Jack O'Dwyer's newslet t er." As you can see, t he abundance of useful resources available on t he I nt ernet leaves very lit t le room for excuses for not doing your hom ework. However, as we close t his chapt er, we feel t he need t o reit erat e a point m ade at t he st art of t his chapt er: PR

professionals m ust st ill have t he basic skills necessary t o use t he int elligence t hey gat her on t he Web t o cult ivat e t he st rong relat ionships wit h t he press t hat will ult im at ely lead t o edit orial placem ent s. One PR vet eran of m ore t han 25 years Andrew Edson, president of t he New York PR firm Andrew Edson & Associat es, observes how he has seen t echnologies from t he t elex t o t he fax m achine t o t he I nt ernet change t he PR indust ry. The I nt ernet has been t he m ost revolut ionary, he says, not ing t he t rem endous popularit y of e- m ail due t o it s speed. Online newswires like Business Wire and PR Newswire have also changed t he business wit h t heir abilit y t o m eet t he needs of audiences who have becom e m ore part icular about how t hey receive t heir news and inform at ion, Edson says. However, Edson believes t he I nt ernet will st ill never replace t he relat ionships of t he past when PR people used t o have m ore face- t o- face int eract ions wit h j ournalist s over lunch or for coffee breaks. Even news conferences are dwindling, he not es, given t hat corporat e announcem ent s can roll out over t he I nt ernet wire or be Webcast for audience part icipat ion. " Today is a different world," Edson acknowledges, st ill holding fast t o his belief t hat PR people m ust t urn away from t heir com put er keyboards wit h t he result s of t heir research and t hen t alk t o people t o validat e t heir result s before rolling out any com m unicat ion.

MEDIA INTERVIEWS: What the Reporters Say The best way t o det erm ine if public relat ions professionals are using t he I nt ernet t o educat e t hem selves bet t er about publicat ions and about j ournalist s is t o ask t he j ournalist s. We went t o a num ber of report ers and edit ors em ployed by a range of organizat ions—from prom inent print publicat ions like The New York Tim es t o newer, Web- based j ournals—and asked, " Are t hings get t ing bet t er?" Their resounding answer: No. The j ournalist s said t hat t he large m aj orit y of PR professionals are failing t o t ake advant age of t he I nt ernet t o work m ore wisely. How can t he j ournalist s be so sure? Just look at t heir overst uffed e- m ail inboxes. PR pract it ioners, by and large, are not using t he inform at ion available on t he Net t o winnow out t hose report ers who would be inappropriat e for a part icular pit ch. I nst ead, t he cost efficiencies of e- m ail seem t o encourage PR people t o spread t heir pit ches widely, furt her inflam ing t he anger of j ournalist s. Report ers say t he sit uat ion was at it s worst during t he height of t he dot com frenzy. They say it was t ypical for PR people represent ing I nt ernet com panies t o display lit t le fam iliarit y wit h t he publicat ion or Web sit e t hey were cont act ing and oft en lit t le fam iliarit y wit h t heir own client s. I t seem ed t o m any report ers t hat PR firm s were t aking on new client s quickly and assigning inexperienced workers t o call on as m any news organizat ions as possible, even if t he callers were incapable of answering sim ple quest ions about t he client 's business m odel or hist ory. " One of t he worst exam ples

was PR people calling and j ust reading press releases," recalls Anna Maria Virzi, m anaging edit or of Ziff- Davis's Baseline m agazine, who held senior posit ions wit h I nt ernet World m agazine and Forbes.com during t he I nt ernet 's craziest days. " Everyone was pit ching everybody," she adds. " I t was j ust insanit y." Those represent ing t radit ional " old econom y" com panies also seem ed oblivious t o online resources like m agazine Web sit es t hat could help t hem t arget t heir pit ches m ore accurat ely. " PR people, like salespeople, are m ore likely t o consult t heir cont act m anagem ent soft ware or personal files t han do 'research' on t he Web," says Ellis Booker, edit or of Crain's Bt oB m agazine. " They don't read our publicat ions—unless, m aybe, t heir client is feat ured in one st ory." Booker says he's been part icularly irrit at ed by t he pit ches relat ed t o business- t o- consum er news t hat are inappropriat e for t he business- t o- business scope of his m agazine, which he says should be apparent by it s nam e. I n defense of PR pract it ioners, m any j ournalist s adm it t hat t he rise of t he I nt ernet as a news vehicle, t he subsequent econom ic hardships caused by t he dem ise of dot - com s, and t he overall recession have probably m ade it hard for m any PR professionals t o keep up wit h t he way m edia organizat ions are posit ioning t hem selves. Wit h m ore news delivered online, print publicat ions have st ruggled t o det erm ine what t o cover on t heir Web sit es versus what t o feat ure on paper. Declining revenues have m eant reposit ionings as publicat ions churn out fewer issues per year and t ry t o t arget t hose niches where t hey see t he m ost growt h pot ent ial. All t he reposit ioning has oft en been accom panied by em ployee t urnover and downsizing. Many news organizat ions have t ried t o keep PR people apprised of t heir changes by post ing explanat ions online. I nt ernet Week , a CMP Media t rade publicat ion t hat ceased publishing in 2002, was a good exam ple of a publicat ion t hat devot ed a port ion of it s Web sit e t o explaining it s deadlines, it s beat s, and it s policies concerning em bargoes and exclusives. Dave Joachim , I nt ernet Week 's form er senior m anaging edit or, says t he " Rules of Engagem ent " published on t he sit e worked hand- in- hand wit h t he voice- m ail m essages of edit orial em ployees, which direct ed callers t o check out t he Web sit e. " Each of us got so m any calls sim ply asking who covered X, Y, or Z," Joachim says in recalling t he m ot ivat ion for t he Web page. " We t hought t hat if we could cut down t hat volum e 10 percent , we could each st eal back several hours per m ont h." Put t ing t he inform at ion online " wasn't a t on of effort ," says Joachim , who not es t hat cont inuing m aint enance was necessary for j ust t he beat list , which changed wit h em ployee t urnover. He says he's not sure t he init iat ive result ed in hours saved for all of I nt ernet Week 's report ers, but it was clear t o him t hat a lot of PR professionals perused t he Web pages before calling. Market ingSherpa.com , a Web sit e devot ed t o art icles about m arket ing t rends, also has a sit e feat ure called " PR People: How t o get coverage for your client s t hrough us," but publisher Anne Holland says she st ill hears from num erous PR people who haven't t ried t o fam iliarize t hem selves wit h her sit e and it s m ission. " I st ill get count less personal pit ches from PR people who are hawking t echnology," she says, not ing her sit e's clearly st at ed focus on m arket ing. " Som et im es when I 'm caffeinat ed and have a

few ext ra m inut es t o burn I e- m ail t hem back saying 'We don't cover t ech. Just m arket ing, m arket ing, m arket ing.' I f t hey surfed m y sit e for 15 seconds, or bot hered t o read our 'for PR people' sect ion t hey would have known t hat ." Sim ilarly, Holland says, PR people fail t o recognize her sit e's em phasis on int erviews and case st udies. " I also get endless news releases, when I don't cover news at all," she com plains. " I figure som e are folks j ust t rying t o keep t heir nam e in front of m e, which is okay. But t he ones who follow- up in e- m ail or phone calls I snap at . Honest ly, why wast e m y t im e when you can see for yourself t hat I don't carry news?" Holland and som e of her colleagues are hopeful t hat PR people will soon seize t he I nt ernet 's power t o deliver only t hose pit ches t hat are relevant t o a part icular m edia organizat ion. She says she's seen m ore personalized pit ches since t he econom y slowed down, a developm ent t hat she suggest s could be due t o t he fact t hat PR agencies are get t ing t o know t heir client s bet t er and t he report ers t hat follow t hem . An alt ernat ive explanat ion, she suggest s, is t hat t he laziest , least com pet ent PR people have been laid off. Baseline's Virzi is less cert ain t here's been m uch im provem ent even in slower econom ic t im es. " People st ill aren't doing t heir hom ework," she says, not ing Baseline's focus not on t echnology, but on t he result s and ret urn on invest m ent of t echnology proj ect s. " All t hose people pit ching new t echnology, for t he m ost part , are wast ing m y t im e," she says. Lisa Guernsey, a t echnology report er for t he Circuit s sect ion of The New York Tim es, est im at es t hat t he lean econom y m ay have helped t he percent age of useful e- m ail pit ches rise t o 20 percent , up from 10 percent in t he past . " What 's relat ed t o sm art er PR and what 's relat ed t o having j ust less m oney t o t hrow around?" she asks. " There's st ill t his flurry of uselessness t hat 's out t here." Holland, of Market ingSherpa.com , advises PR people who are m aking t he effort t o personalize and t arget pit ches t o use t he subj ect line wisely t o t ell j ournalist s what 's in t he e- m ail. " A subj ect line reading 'Press Release From ' or 'News From ' or som e ot her ult ra- dull subj ect won't st and out in m y clogged inbox," she says. Som et hing like " P&G Case St udy for Market ingSherpa" is going t o do a m uch bet t er j ob of t elling her about t he cont ent s and of indicat ing t hat t he PR person has m ade an effort t o t arget t he release, she says. Booker of Bt oB not es, however, t hat t he personalizat ion has t o be real and not som et hing t hat is accom plished wit h a m erge com m and t hat j ust insert s t he recipient 's nam e in t he subj ect line. " I f it 's a carpet - bom b press release, why m ake it personal?" he asks. Guernsey, at The New York Tim es, recalls an e- m ail from t he once highflying online ret ailer eToys t hat cut t hrough t he e- m ail clut t er and capt ured her at t ent ion. She credit s Jonat han Cut ler, a form er m anager of com m unicat ions at eToys, wit h acknowledging in t he first sent ences t hat he was aware t hat The Tim es was get t ing lot s of pit ches from online ret ailers in advance of t he upcom ing holiday season. He t hen quickly point ed out t hat eToys had hired a new logist ics officer t o address t he fulfillm ent problem s t hat had been a concern for so m any I nt ernet m erchant s. " I definit ely t ook t he bait on t hat one," says Guernsey, who subsequent ly

accept ed Cut ler's invit at ion t o visit an eToys dist ribut ion cent er in Blairs, Virginia. The result was a st ory, sidebar, and phot o t hat were feat ured prom inent ly in The Tim es on Decem ber 7, 2000. Cut ler, who is now a vice president of Port er Novelli, recalls t hat his pit ch was t o give t he m edia a chance t o cat ch a rare glim pse behind t he scenes of " online t oyland" during t he holiday season, but t he hiring of t he logist ics officer gave him a newsy angle and helped at t ract at t ent ion beyond The Tim es at NBC, CBS, and elsewhere. He recalled t he pit ch in t he following em ail he sent us: I had been t racking Lisa Guernsey's st ories for m ore t han six m ont hs. Obviously t he sect ion lent it self well t o eToys, a rising st ar of t he I nt ernet , but one couldn't j ust pit ch t he st ory of an online ret ailer. Besides, t here were already ot her report ers at t he NYT t hat covered eToys from a st rict ly business perspect ive. I was looking t o dem onst rat e bot h t he parent s' appeal of our business and how we were helping t o t ransform t he way people live and work ( by shopping online for kids' t oys, som et hing t hat t radit ionally was an oft en overwhelm ing and laborious process in t he brick- and- m ort ar world) . So, t he pit ch I used t o approach t he NYT t apped int o bot h what Circuit s covered, what Lisa had been writ ing about , and what was t im ely and relevant overall. The pit ch: m eet t he Millennium Sant a and t ake a peek int o his new age Sant a's workshop; m eet t he digit al elves and see how eToys was going t o deliver Christ m as, Chanukah, and Kwanza t o t ens of t housands of Am erican children. The NYT broke t his st ory, but m any print publicat ions soon followed wit h scaled- down versions of t he piece. The NYT st ory also helped secure a series of broadcast pieces along t he sam e t hem e, including a feat ure piece on NBC Night ly News and CBS This Morning. Overall, we were very successful in generat ing widespread st ories in all m edium s ( print , broadcast , and online) and were able t o develop m eaningful and relevant st ory angles t hat appealed t o bot h t he report er and ult im at ely t he public. I t is essent ial t o know bot h t he publicat ion inside and out , and what t he report er you are pit ching covers. The last t hing you want t o do is lose t he int erest of a report er because you didn't t ake t he t im e t o underst and t heir part icular beat and t rack past art icles t hey have writ t en. The I nt ernet is one way t o help focus your pit ch. I t provides an accessible m eans by which t o research a publicat ion and t hose t hat writ e for it . I t also provides an unlim it ed pool from which t o do research on t rends and ot her fact ors t hat m ay play int o your pit ch. Cert ain rules t hat m ust always be followed when approaching t he m edia wit h a st ory would include first and forem ost knowing t he publicat ion and underst anding t he writ ing st yle of t he specific report er you are pit ching. You can't j ust send a press release or m ake a phone call wit hout connect ing t he dot s. The st ory m ust have relevance, be t im ely, and m ost of all t ap int o eit her an exist ing t rend or help ident ify an em erging one. I t is im port ant t o be well versed wit h bot h your subj ect ( whet her it is a product , service, or execut ive) and equally as inform ed wit h t he m edia out let . Always be concise in your pit ch and dem onst rat e t hat your st ory idea is bot h t opical and m eaningful.

Virzi, of Baseline m agazine, says t he m ost effect ive PR professionals are t he ones who use t he I nt ernet t o keep up wit h what publicat ions are covering and what beat s st aff m em bers have and t hen keep good not es on whet her t he report ers prefer e- m ail or phone calls and whet her t hey are early birds like herself who prefer calls at 8 a.m ., or lat e risers who prefer t o t ake calls aft er lunch. " You've really got t o know t he likes and dislikes of people," she says. However, PR people who becom e t oo proficient at keeping t abs on j ournalist s need t o wat ch out for t he occasional backlash from writ ers who find t he pract ice a lit t le spooky. A lot of report ers who enj oy covering newsm akers are privat e people who don't necessarily like having t he spot light on t hem selves. Whereas som e m ight respond well t o a PR person who has invest igat ed where t hey went t o college or who t heir favorit e sport s t eam s are, ot hers m ight be put off by t act ics t hat m ay view as t ransparent and m anipulat ive. Lisa DiCarlo, a senior edit or for Forbes.com and a vet eran of PCWeek, is am ong t hose who is uncom fort able wit h som e of t he inform at ion being collect ed by PR professionals. She recalls seeing t he dossier kept on her by a large com put er m aker. She says she wasn't bot hered by t he records t he com pany kept of st ories she had writ t en or by t he com pany's conclusions about t he " t one" of her art icles. What m ade her uneasy, she says, was an at t em pt by t he com pany t o decipher her nonverbal com m unicat ions during an in- person int erview. I n her case, t he PR people for t he com put er com pany observed t hat she " doesn't divert her eyes from t he execut ive t o writ e in t he not epad" and advised execut ives who m ight be int erviewed by her t hat t his was " an int im idat ion t act ic on m y part ," she says. DiCarlo says m ore research int o what she covers and how she covers it could very well be t he solut ion for ending t he t ide of m isdirect ed e- m ail pit ches t hat overwhelm s her and her colleagues in j ournalism . " But exam ining t he personal int erviewing st yles was creepy."

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 5. The Need for Continuous Research Online t ools can help you collect t he dat a you need about cust om ers' needs. Log soft ware helps you analyze where your sit e visit ors are going. Surveys enable you t o ask people about what t hey are seeking. Now t hat you're up t o speed on how t o keep up wit h j ournalist s of t he I nt ernet era, rem em ber t hat t he I nt ernet has creat ed a whole new audience for PR professionals t o worry about . As we've point ed out earlier, t he public now has new access t o t he PR m essages and brand im age t hat you are helping your client s creat e online. We t alked in Chapt er 2 about t he secondary research indicat ing t he cont inued rapid growt h of I nt ernet use and t he growt h in previously underrepresent ed dem ographic segm ent s, such as wom en and older Am ericans. We discussed in Chapt er 3 t he need for PR and m arket ing professionals t o conduct prim ary research t o underst and t he needs t hat consum ers are seeking t o sat isfy and t he product benefit s t hat client s should st rive t o offer. I n t his chapt er, we discuss som e of t he t ools you can use t o collect t his inform at ion from your online visit ors. The t ools range from I nt ernet log and analysis soft ware, which can be licensed or subscribed t o as a service, all t he way up t o t hird- part y vendors t hat can help you in conduct ing surveys or focus groups of your online visit ors. This is research t hat client s should conduct for reasons t hat go far beyond public relat ions. Finding out who is visit ing a Web sit e, for what purpose, at what t im es, and for how long are all im port ant fact ors in craft ing t he client 's im age, but also in det erm ining m arket ing and product developm ent st rat egies, and in answering t echnical quest ions about t he expect ed burden on Web sit e servers. Therefore, PR professionals should look t o ot her depart m ent s of a client 's business t o build support for ( and share t he cost s of) t he t ype of prim ary research we propose here. One cost - effect ive place t o st art wit h your research is wit h t he log soft ware t hat records act ivit y on a Web sit e. You'll probably find t his soft ware already inst alled on your Web servers t o aid t echnical professionals in keeping t he sit e online and secure, but t his soft ware can also provide a wealt h of inform at ion for PR people and m arket ers eager t o find out about Web sit e visit ors. The soft ware is available from a variet y of vendors, including m arket leader WebTrends, a form erly independent com pany t hat is now part of Net I Q Corp. of San Jose, California. WebTrends can t ell you, for exam ple, t he m ost frequent ly request ed Web pages on a client 's sit e. Are visit ors int erest ed in t he online press releases you've post ed? I f so, are t hey m ore int erest ed in t he ones relat ed t o new product s or t he ones concerning quart erly earnings? The soft ware can also t ell you if visit ors are com ing back repeat edly and t he average am ount of t im e t hey're spending on t he sit e. I s it a quick drop- by or are t hey doing som e serious research requiring a bit of t im e and involving lot s of page views? Are people m aking m ost of t heir visit s during business hours

when t hey m ight be researching pot ent ial purchases or part nerships or are t hey com ing on weekends or at night when t hey m ight be using t heir own t im e t o check out st ock t ips? Log soft ware can be especially helpful if your client is operat ing a closed Web sit e in which cust om ers and business part ners are given I Ds and passwords t o access inform at ion. I n such cases, it is possible t o det erm ine how m any t im es a part icular user logs in and what pages t hat user views. Jeff Seacrist , group product m anager for WebTrends, says it m ight be possible t o link what you know about a cust om er's surfing habit s t o offline dat a about his or her buying hist ory t o cust om ize t he Web experience so t hat t he cust om er is offered deals on m erchandise t hat is m ost appropriat e for t hat person. " I t 's im port ant for any sit e doing t his t o have a wellt hought - t hrough privacy policy," he adds, not ing t he sensit ivit y m any people have t o t he way in which personal dat a is handled. " The policy needs t o say what t hey do and t hey need t o do what t hey say." I n cases where people are not logging int o a closed sit e, it is st ill possible t o glean inform at ion about users. A bit of code known as a cookie can unobt rusively be at t ached t o a user's browser soft ware t o ident ify whet her t he user is a first - t im er or a ret urning visit or. Log soft ware also records t he I nt ernet Prot ocol ( I P) address of visit ors, so it is possible t o det erm ine how m any people are ent ering a client 's sit e via I nt ernet connect ions at universit ies ( .edu addresses) , m ilit ary organizat ions ( .m il addresses) , or com m ercial ent it ies (.com addresses) . These I P addresses can also indicat e t he scope of int ernat ional int erest in your client 's Web sit e, as com put ers out side t he Unit ed St at es oft en have I nt ernet addresses ending wit h a count ryspecific suffix, such as .uk for t he Unit ed Kingdom or .j p for Japan. Som e soft ware vendors also claim t o be able t o ident ify t he st at es and cit ies of I nt ernet visit ors based on t heir I P addresses, but such claim s are a lit t le shaky in our view. The 35 m illion people logging on t hrough AOL m ay be rout ed t hrough servers at t he com pany's Virginia headquart ers, but t hey are not all Virginians. Seacrist of WebTrends acknowledges such problem s, but says I P addresses st ill hold value for Web sit e operat ors. " I f you know t he m aj orit y of your visit ors com e from warm er clim at es, you don't show your parkas on t he hom e page," he says. Anot her valuable source of inform at ion available from Web sit e logs is t he dat a about where visit ors from your sit e were before t hey cam e t o your sit e. This could t ell you which business part ner is passing t he m ost t raffic t o you. I t can also t ell you which search engine is frequent ly used t o find your sit e. Links from search engines are also valuable because t he search phrase is capt ured in t he referral from t he search engine. Which of your client 's product s are people searching for? Which segm ent s of your client 's business are t he subj ect of m ost searches? Once you know t he phrases people are searching, you can replicat e t he searches and see where your client is posit ioned on t he result s list vis à vis it s com pet it ors. Finally, Seacrist of WebTrends point s t o t he ent ry point as anot her piece of dat a capt ured in Web logs t hat could be at t ract ive t o m arket ers and PR people concerned about put t ing a client 's best foot forward. Log soft ware generally t ells you which door visit ors are com ing t hrough when t hey com e t o a sit e. Are t hey hit t ing t he hom e page or being ushered by a search engine t o a cert ain product page inside t he sit e? I f it 's t he lat t er, t hen you m ust m ake sure t he product pages provide easy access t o t he full realm of inform at ion about t he com pany. Having dat a about t he ent ry point s also enables you t o det erm ine t he response rat es t o part icular press releases or advert isem ent s. You can incorporat e a unique Uniform Resource Locat or ( URL) in t he release or ad for a part icular product and t hen use log soft ware t o det erm ine how m any people com e t hrough t hat door. The soft ware can also t ell you

what percent age of t he people who com e t hrough t hat door ult im at ely m ake an online purchase and what percent age read m ult iple pages on your sit e and t herefore could be considered good prospect ive cust om ers. Of course, looking at records of sit e visit s and inferring what people are doing online is an im perfect science. This has left t he door open for a variet y of researchers who will act ually com m unicat e wit h I nt ernet users t o find out what t hey are doing and what t hey have t o say about various sit es. " We've got t he why behind what happens wit h Web logs," says Janice Cast on, direct or of m arket ing for Greenfield Online of Wilt on, Connect icut , one of several firm s specializing in online m arket research. " You could be m issing t he boat wit h Web logs because you're really not underst anding your users," she says. Greenfield Online offers sit es a variet y of services for finding out about t heir visit ors. A low- end service called QuickTake is int ended t o help t hem do a cheap, quick evaluat ion of t heir users on t heir own. Anot her service uses quest ionnaires t o help sit es find out about t he dem ographics of t heir users and t heir users' opinions of t he sit e's aest het ic appeal and usabilit y. A t hird service, called WebSuit e, involves an ongoing evaluat ion of users so t hat a sit e can see how visit ors respond t o changes in t he sit e or t o various prom ot ions. Finally, Greenfield Online also m aint ains a panel of consum ers t hat it can call on t o do a com pet it ive analysis of sit es in a given indust ry. Panel m em bers visit t he client 's sit e and t he sit es of his or her com pet it ors and t hen answer a series of quest ions about t he sit es. Such com parisons can produce a wealt h of inform at ion about which Web feat ures are at t ract ing t he m ost at t ent ion in a part icular dem ographic group. Greenfield's Cast on says a key t o get t ing sit e users t o respond t o surveys is t o keep surveys short . A survey done of Greenfield Online panel m em bers can be longer, som et im es as long as 40 quest ions, because t hese people have signed up t o part icipat e in research st udies over t im e. However, incent ives are st ill oft en necessary, Cast on not es, and rewards need t o be viewed as at t ainable if large num bers of people are going t o t ake t he t im e t o respond. Greenfield Online has learned t hat awarding respondent s a chance in a $5,000 raffle is less effect ive, she says, t han ent ering t hem in a sm aller $50 raffle t hat boast s a m uch bet t er chance of winning. Survey.com also uses a panel of online users t o conduct m arket research. The com pany, which is profiled in an int erview on page 61 of t his chapt er, says t he breadt h of it s ePanel enables it t o gat her feedback from part icular subgroups, such as I T decision m akers, hom e com put er buyers, or avid video gam ers. I t s quest ionnaires are int ended t o collect dat a on a variet y of im port ant t opics ranging from brand percept ion t o cust om er needs and sat isfact ion t o product int elligence. Adm it t edly, working wit h an e- m arket ing specialist is not cheap. Cust om ers of Greenfield Online, Surveys.com , and t he like can expect t o pay upwards of $10,000 for any of t heir cust om ized services. Web log soft ware, as not ed earlier, is usually a cheaper, less com prehensive solut ion. A m iddle- ground answer t o your need for inform at ion about your online users m ight be t o conduct surveys on your own. Surveys can be developed in- house fairly sim ply by using Hypert ext Markup Language ( HTML) form s t hat dum p responses int o a dat abase t hat can be analyzed wit h Microsoft Excel or anot her spreadsheet program . Vinny Cozzi, a Web developer at PFS Market wyse, says surveys can be placed on a Web sit e or e- m ailed t o online cust om ers. The best response rat e is usually achieved by put t ing a short survey of one or t wo quest ions on t he hom e page. " I t 's right t here in front of you when you com e t o t hat hom e page," he not es. An e- m ailed survey usually requires t he

recipient t o follow a link t o a Web page, which requires m ore effort t han a lot of people are willing t o give. Not only should t he quest ionnaire be brief, but t he quest ions t hem selves m ust each be short , Cozzi says. Yes- or- no quest ions can t ell you which product s t he respondent owns and a m ult iple- choice quest ion can ask t he user where he or she bought t he product , he says. The answers can t ell m arket ers a lot about t he sit e's visit ors, he says, including whet her t hey buy online or offline and whet her t hey're buying from an East Coast , West Coast , or Midwest ern ret ailer. Sat isfact ion wit h a sit e or wit h a part icular product can also be m easured quickly on a scale of 1 t o 10, Cozzi not es. Sim ilar quest ions could be post ed in an online pressroom , for exam ple, t o det erm ine what percent ages of visit ors are from daily newspapers, t rade press, radio, TV, Web sit es, and so fort h. " You t ry t o m ake it as easy as possible," Cozzi says, not ing t he need t o get as m any responses as possible. He says such quest ionnaires can be developed in as lit t le as one day or as m any as t wo weeks. Those requiring t he m ost t im e are usually t he ones in which t he client desires a high level of det ail about user dem ographics, product preferences, and ot her fact ors—all of which need t o be built int o t he report ing syst em for t he quest ionnaire. Sit es unable t o devot e t heir own resources t o designing and developing quest ionnaires and report ing syst em s can also choose am ong a variet y of soft ware packages int ended t o m ake it easy t o post surveys or polls. The packages range from freeware like PollCat Polls t o host ed services like Upt ilt 's Polling Engine. Act ive Websurvey is one poll- m aking soft ware from Webint el.net , which is available t hrough a t hree- m ont h subscript ion for $166 or by license for $499 a year. I t enables users t o develop t heir own surveys, which are host ed on Act ive Websurvey's servers. Users are provided wit h passwords for accessing report s and chart s on Act ive Websurvey's servers. Now t hat you've accum ulat ed all of t his research, let 's t urn our at t ent ion t o how you can use it . The opening chapt ers of t his book have been int ended t o help you underst and t he needs and online behaviors of t he report ers and general public who are int eract ing wit h your client . Part I I of t his book com m ences wit h t he next chapt er, as we discuss t he st rat egies and t ools t o be used in com m unicat ing your client 's st ory in t he I nt ernet age.

Interview with Michael Bach, CEO and Founder of Survey.com What bet t er m et hod t han online research t o deliver m ission- crit ical inform at ion? Survey.com has been ident ifying and delivering t his t ype of research t o it s client s since 1994, when t he com pany was founded by it s CEO Michael Bach. Alt hough Survey.com is a full- service m arket research com pany, it s expert ise lies in online research, including t he developm ent of Web evaluat ion surveys, t he recruit m ent and set - up of e- panels, and t he execut ion of Web- based surveys and e- polling. What should be of part icular int erest t o PR professionals is Survey.com 's st aff of t rained professionals

and t heir knowledge and experience wit h public relat ions research. Bach discussed wit h us how Survey.com st rives t o provide public relat ions professionals wit h credible inform at ion regarding audience at t it udes, percept ions, and beliefs. " Our client s use Survey.com because t hey know t hat dat a published regarding opinions m oves opinions," he says. " We don't always find t he inform at ion t hat our client s expect t o hear, but provide t hem wit h t hem wit h t he accurat e findings t hat t hey need t o be aware of when it com es t o changing opinions of audiences online." Bach also says t hat Survey.com 's abilit y t o com pile opinions from a large pool of survey respondent s ( 15 m illion consum ers) aids PR professionals by helping t hem get dat a t hey need t o support t he m essages t hey are put t ing out in news releases. According t o Bach, t he key benefit s t o using online research are t wofold. PR professionals find benefit in Survey.com when t hey are seeking an independent st udy or st at ist ics t hat support a com pany's com m unicat ion. Bach, in discussing PR research, also knows t hat PR professionals look t o reput able firm s for t heir research ( i.e., Gallup Polls have t he nam e and reput at ion for populat ion surveys) . He also realizes t hat Survey.com m ust provide ext rem ely t arget ed research, and be sensit ive t o newswort hy, credible st at ist ics, avoiding t he hype t hat has been all t oo oft en displayed on t he I nt ernet . Bach feels t hat his com pany has advanced in t he past 10 years t o t he point of doing " incredibly t arget ed research," which has led t o relat ionships wit h m edium - t o large- sized cust om ers including eBay, I BM, t he U.S. Navy, Cisco Syst em s, and Ford Mot or Com pany. The scope of Survey.com 's research ranges from int ernal t o ext ernal PR research. Wit h m any com panies looking inward and re- evaluat ing m arket posit ions, int ernal, m essage- orient ed PR has m oved t o t he forefront . I n addit ion, com panies call on Survey.com t o find out what em ployees are t hinking wit h respect t o com m unicat ion program s. This helps senior- level execut ives wit h int ernal com m unicat ion t o guide t he fut ure direct ion of t he com pany. Message- orient ed PR is also popular wit h ext ernal audiences. Com panies oft en ask Survey.com for answers t o m any popular online research quest ions, such as, " We'd like t o know what our audiences t hink about t he com pany?" and " Will our t arget audience even know who we are? " Bach says Survey.com can answer such quest ions and offers benefit s in ot her areas, such as t hese: Tim e : I t 's m uch fast er t o com plet e surveys using t he I nt ernet . A survey t hat m ight have t aken a week t o im plem ent now t akes a day and research t hat quit e possibly t ook several weeks only t akes one week. Cost : Online research is less expensive. A few years ago, a budget of $50,000 would not ext end a com pany's research int o ot her count ries. Today, online research enables t his t ype of budget t o delve int o int ernat ional t errit ories—perhaps as m any as five count ries—com plet e wit h report ed t ranslat ions. There are always issues concerning whet her or not survey research online is represent at ive of t he populat ion. Bach explains t hat Survey.com 's

sam pling t echniques range from probabilit y t hrough expert and snowballing m et hods. Bach point s out t hat t he survey world is broken int o t wo spheres—t hose who t ake surveys and t hose who do not . Faced wit h t he challenge t hat som e online visit ors will not donat e t heir t im e or at t ent ion t o a survey, Bach knows t hat Survey.com needs a variet y of effect ive solicit at ion m et hods ( based on incent ives for bet t er response) . These m et hods include t he following: Surveys via e- m ail wit h t he abilit y for part icipant s t o click on a dynam ic URL t hat recognizes who t hey are and which survey t hey should com plet e. Surveys via pop- up windows, which are used for Web evaluat ion and analysis. A Web sit e pop- up survey can be coded so t hat a random sam ple is achieved; for inst ance every hundredt h or every t ent h visit or sees t he pop- up box survey. Direct m ail cards and advert ising invit e part icipant s t o log ont o a Web sit e t o com plet e a survey. Even t elephone solicit at ion coaxes people t o log on t o t he I nt ernet t o com plet e a quest ionnaire. Of course, t here are rewards for part icipat ion. Survey.com uses an incent ive- based m odel—not t o be confused wit h " paid responses." Most incent ives are cont est based when dealing wit h consum ers. However, t he business- t o- business respondent s part icipat e wit h Survey.com for t he purpose of get t ing valuable input t o m aj or m anufact urers. Survey.com does not " overincent " for fear t hat com plet ing surveys will becom e m ercenary work. As a result , t he com pany st eers clear of overusing panelist part icipant s for e- panels. According t o Bach, m any com panies are hurt by oversurveying or oversam pling of t heir part icipant s on t he I nt ernet . Survey.com looks t o newer audiences and fresh opinions. Bach feels t hat wit h growing num bers of people on t he I nt ernet and a wider range of dem ographics, finding fresh opinions is far less difficult t han it was in t he earlier years of online research. Bach's final t hought s were t hat t he I nt ernet is becom ing increasingly popular and as a result gat hering dat a is easier and m ore accurat e. Online research is advancing quickly. Bach sees m ore access point s and far m ore int eract ion wit h research respondent s. " Research online is not a revolut ion, it 's an evolut ion," he says. He st resses t hat as long as professionals underst and t he rules, rest rict ions, and guidelines, com panies such as Survey.com will find success. I n fact , Survey.com has found success wit h a wide range of client s who com plim ent t he com pany for it s responsiveness, cust om er sat isfact ion, and knowledge about t he t ype of research t hat is necessary for PR professionals. The fact t hat 90 percent of his client s com e back for m ore online research speaks for it self. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Part II: Putting the Tools to Work Chapt er 6. Building Your Online Newsroom Chapt er 7. Using E- Mail Sm art ly Chapt er 8. E- Newslet t ers Build Relat ionships Chapt er 9. Webcast s Are Wort h a Second Try [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 6. Building Your Online Newsroom Journalist s expect com panies t o have easily accessible online newsroom s. Online newsroom s free PR people from paper shuffling so t hey can t hink m ore about st rat egy. Don't hide behind your online newsroom because t he hum an t ouch is st ill im port ant . Now you're ready t o get down t o t he business of using t he I nt ernet for public relat ions. We've sensit ized you t o t he need t o underst and t he different t echnology com fort levels of report ers and consum ers. We've t alked about t he need t o posit ion your client as a solut ion t o a need. We've t old you where t o get secondary inform at ion about I nt ernet users and clued you in about I nt ernet t ools and services t hat can help you t arget t he appropriat e j ournalist s and learn about t he int erest s of your client 's Web visit ors. Now it 's t im e t o t alk about how you put all of t his inform at ion t o work. I n t his chapt er we t alk in great er det ail about how your approach t o t he news m edia has t o evolve wit h t he changing t im es. We'll hear first hand from report ers about how t heir work st yles have changed because of t he I nt ernet and why t hey consider your com pany or your client s t o be t echnologically backwards and PR- challenged if t hey don't , at t he least , have an online newsroom full of up- t o- dat e docum ent s. I n subsequent chapt ers, we provide our advice on t he best ways t o use ot her t ools such as e- m ail, newslet t ers, and Webcast s. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

A New World I t 's no secret t hat t echnological advancem ent s have changed t he j ournalism world dram at ically in t he last 30 years. The swit ch from t ypewrit ers t o com put ers speeded up t he product ion process and bought j ournalist s m ore t im e t o com plet e t heir st ories. Sim ilarly, t he advent of cold t ype t echnology saved lot s of t im e because it elim inat ed t he need t o set hot t ype. However, all of t hose changes cannot com pare t o what t he I nt ernet has already done for j ournalism and will do in t he com ing years as m ore report ers recognize what is available t o t hem . The m odernizat ion of product ion processes m ight have bought report ers and edit ors enough ext ra t im e t o polish t he writ ing of a newspaper or m agazine art icle, t o t ry t he fourt h version of a headline, or even t o swap out a st ory at t he last m inut e for breaking news. Those are all im port ant im provem ent s. However, t he I nt ernet goes far beyond any of t hat because it im proves not only t he t im eliness but also t he qualit y of t he j ournalist ic product . Today's j ournalist s have quick and easy access t o dat abases of past art icles, huge direct ories of people and com panies, every financial report filed wit h t he Securit ies and Exchange Com m ission ( SEC) , and large archives of report s from ot her governm ent agencies, analyst organizat ions, and t hink t anks. The old pract ice of report ing only t he fact s of an event or announcem ent and leaving m uch of t he background and analyses for a " second- day st ory" has been t hrown out t he window because it is now possible t o provide t he reader wit h large am ount s of background dat a and cont ext in a first - day st ory. A report er at The Sm allt own Gazet t e in t he Midwest who is writ ing about t he appoint m ent of a new president at Sm allt own Universit y, for exam ple, does not need t o report prim arily what t he college has said about t he president 's background. A quick search on a search engine such as Google ( google.com ) would probably reveal lot s of inform at ion about t he college where t he person has been working previously and how it com pares t o Sm allt own Univerist y in t erm s of size and t ypes of courses offered. That search m ight also reveal newspaper art icles about t he new president —including everyt hing from rout ine coverage of past graduat ions t o m ore int erest ing st ories about clashes wit h t he facult y and st udent groups at t he person's form er cam pus. Given t hat a lot of academ ic j ournals are online, it m ight also be possible t o find reviews of books or art icles t he new president has writ t en in a part icular academ ic field, which should produce a pat h t o t he reviewers t hem selves, who m ight be willing t o be int erviewed for t he report er's art icle. Suddenly, a few keyst rokes and m ouse clicks have t urned what would have been a press release st ory and phot o a few years ago int o a m uch richer report for t he reader. Sim ilarly, an I nt ernet - savvy report er at The Sm allt own Gazet t e is also m uch bet t er equipped t o report on t he acquisit ion of t he local Sm allt own Fact ory by Mult inat ional Conglom erat e Corp. ( MCC) . I t is no longer necessary t o request a press kit from MCC's headquart ers in London or t o rely on a PR person t o fax over backgrounders. MCC's Web sit e probably offers a full pressroom , com plet e wit h biographies and downloadable phot ographs of t he com pany's execut ives and com prehensive descript ions of t he com pany's various product lines. A quick search on Yahoo! Finance t ells t he report er t hat t he com pany's st ock is near it s 52- week low and reveals t hat t he m ost recent headlines have been about MCC's need t o im prove it s m argins. Suddenly, t he st ory has gone beyond t he news of t he fact ory's acquisit ion t o a deeper look at MCC's m ot ivat ions for t he deal. I s t his a t roubled com pany drawn

t o Sm allt own t o cut labor cost s? What does t hat m ean for local workers? A quick check of Hoover's Online ( hoovers.com ) or CBS Market Wat ch ( cbs.m arket wat ch.com ) reveals t he nam es of t he analyst s who m ight com m ent on why t hey t hink MCC is com ing t o Sm allt own. I n t he space of an hour, t he Gazet t e report er is on t o a st ory t hat 's probably less pleasing t o t he Sm allt own Cham ber of Com m erce, but m ore inform at ive for readers. One elem ent m issing from bot h of t hese hypot het ical scenarios is any m ent ion of PR professionals. To be fair, we should acknowledge t he role of t he PR people in issuing press releases about t he new president and t he fact ory acquisit ion. We should also assum e t hat t he PR person was involved in m aking sure t hat t he report er for t he Gazet t e got an int erview in person or on t he phone wit h t he new college president and an MCC execut ive t o get som e colorful quot es. However, t he PR person is clearly no longer holding all t he cards because t he I nt ernet is an easily accessible t reasure of inform at ion. The PR people at Sm allt own Universit y and MCC are left hoping t hat t hey've done t heir best t o put t heir m essages out on t he I nt ernet and t hat t hey've done a solid enough j ob of relat ionship building so t hat t he Gazet t e report er will call t hem for t heir com m ent s and input as t he st ory becom es richer and possibly less flat t ering. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Imperative #1: A Good Online Pressroom This changing dynam ic bet ween report ers and PR folks is why it is ext rem ely im port ant for PR professionals t o t hink proact ively about what t hey are going t o provide in online pressroom s. Report ers of t he 21st Cent ury expect t o be able t o help t hem selves t o t he inform at ion t hat t hey need and are likely t o t hink of a com pany as backwards or archaic if it s Web sit e does not have a full pressroom . " There's a real aut onom y now in t erm s of j ournalism ," says j ournalism professor Dianne Lynch of St . Michael's College in Verm ont , who suggest s t hat t he I nt ernet has changed j ournalism m ore dram at ically t han m any PR people have recognized. ( For m ore on Lynch's views, see t he " Journalist I nt erview" sect ion on page 86 of t his chapt er.) I t is not surprising t hat t echnology com panies t hat were t he first t o clim b on t he I nt ernet bandwagon and t hat work wit h t he m ost t echnically savvy j ournalist s have been t he pioneers in developm ent of online pressroom s. Microsoft , I BM, and Sun Microsyst em s offer exam ples of t he t ypes of m edia cent ers t hat PR professionals should aspire t o creat e for t heir client s. Microsoft 's PressPass sect ion, for exam ple, boast s a large archive of press releases t hat can be browsed by m ont h or searched by keyword. St ories published by ot hers news organizat ions are included on t he sit e, as are quest ion- and- answer sessions t hat t he com pany's public relat ions people have conduct ed wit h im port ant execut ives. Press releases about new product announcem ent s include links t o Web pages elsewhere on t he Microsoft sit e t hat provide det ailed inform at ion about t he com pany's product s. Biographies are available of key Microsoft execut ives as well as copies of t heir recent speeches. The I m age Gallery includes everyt hing from assort ed com pany and product logos t o product shot s t o port rait s of Microsoft execut ives—available as sm aller, low- resolut ion im ages suit able for t he Web or as bigger, higher resolut ion im ages suit able for print publicat ions. Chairm an Bill Gat es has his own sect ion in t he PressPass area where Web users can find his biography and links t o t he m any art icles and colum ns he has writ t en for The New York Tim es, The Econom ist , and ot her publicat ions. Finally, Microsoft has recognized t hat it 's im possible t o ant icipat e and answer every quest ion in an online docum ent and so t he cont act inform at ion for t he com pany's PR represent at ives is prom inent ly feat ured. Sim ilarly, Sun Microsyst em s has done a com prehensive j ob in providing inform at ion about it s people and product s in it s Press & Media Cent er. Press releases can be sort ed by m ont h or searched by keyword. A Press Kit Cent er offers access t o collect ions of inform at ion put t oget her for various product lines, for various m arket s such as healt h care, and for indust ry t rade shows. The healt h- care press kit , for exam ple, includes recent press releases relat ed t o t hat m arket as well as case st udies of healt h- care cust om ers, whit e papers relat ed t o t he indust ry, and biographies and phot os of t he Sun execut ives responsible for t hat part icular m arket . Sun's press sit e also includes ot her links t o frequent ly request ed logos and phot ographs. CEO Scot t McNealey does not have his own elaborat e sit e like his rival Gat es, but Sun does offer downloadable phot os and brief bios of him and ot her t op decision m akers at t he com pany. I BM, of course, cannot allow it self t o be overshadowed by ot her blue chip t echnology com panies. I t s online pressroom also includes searchable press releases, plus bios

and phot os of current key execut ives as well as Nobel Prize winners and form er CEOs. I BM is considering ways in which t o push t he envelope furt her wit h ot her feat ures such as searchable t ranscript s of execut ives' press conferences, according t o Mat t hew Anchin, m anager of t he Pressroom sit e. ( For m ore on I BM's effort , see our int erview wit h Anchin on page 80 in t his chapt er.) Technology com panies are not t he only t railblazers in online newsroom s, however. Bet hlehem St eel, which is a fract ion of t he size of Microsoft or I BM and is not exact ly swim m ing in cash due t o it s Chapt er 11 bankrupt cy filing in Oct ober 2001, does an excellent j ob of m aking releases and im ages available online as well as execut ive bios and a hist ory of t he com pany. Jam es D. Court ney, direct or of m arket ing com m unicat ions, says t he News Room dat es back t o 1996 and sprung from his need t o bring order t o t he process of providing im ages t o publicat ions. Bet hlehem has a rich archive of phot os—including everyt hing from execut ive port rait s t o im ages of bridges and ot her st eel st ruct ures—t hat are request ed regularly by m agazine and newspaper edit ors around t he world. ( For m ore on how Court ney creat ed t he News Room and m anages it cheaply, see our int erview on page 82 in t his chapt er.) Also deserving of praise is t he Press Room of Air Product s and Chem icals, I nc., which has covered all of it s bases wit h searchable press releases, virt ual press kit s, com pany and business backgrounders and execut ive biographies, plus a det ailed list of PR cont act s, and a well- st ocked Mult im edia Gallery of phot os and videos. Bet h Ment esana, m anager of corporat e public relat ions, explains t hat t he Web sit e helps t he com pany serve not only report ers and edit ors, but also ot her const it uent s, such as business part ners. She says t he video gallery, for exam ple, has enabled one of Air Product s' t echnology providers t o download " B- roll" foot age of Air Product s' m anufact uring floor for use in it s sales present at ions. The gallery is m uch appreciat ed by it s users, she says, and som et hing t hat can be st ocked wit hout ext raordinary effort if you t hink of it as a reposit ory for m at erials creat ed t hroughout t he com pany, rat her t han as a showcase for only PR product s. ( For m ore on Air Product s' press room , see our int erview wit h Ment esana and her t eam on page 84 in t his chapt er.) Sm aller t han even Bet hlehem St eel or Air Product s is Chem co, a Ferndale, Washingt on, m aker of pressure- t reat ed, fire- ret ardant ext erior wood. I nt ernet consult ant Barry Bowen creat ed a pressroom for t he sit e at chem co.org t hat showcases recent releases, archives older releases, and prom inent ly m ent ions t he cont act inform at ion for t he com pany's PR person. I n addit ion, recent press references are included in t he pressroom along wit h video snippet s t hat show how t he flam e ret ardant is applied t o building m at erials. " Any com pany doing PR, I t hink, can do a pressroom on a very m odest budget ," says Bowen, whose consult ancy has it s Web sit e at bgroup.com . He est im at es st art up cost s of " a couple t housand bucks" for designing and est ablishing t he pressroom . " The Web is j ust an addit ional dissem inat ion t ool or reposit ory," he says. " The m ain t hing is t o get t he basics done right . You don't need anim at ion and a searchable dat abase." David Plenkovich, t he m anager of public relat ions for Chem co, says t he pressroom is great for serving report ers who have heard about t he com pany and drop by t he sit e. He believes t he sit e saves Chem co shipping cost s t hat ot herwise would be incurred t o send out paper press kit s, but he adm it s t o worrying about t he pot ent ial downside t o having report ers serve t hem selves. " You m ay not have t he opport unit y t o provide t hem wit h addit ional inform at ion or suggest new angles t o t he st ory," he says. Like Bowen, ot her Web consult ant s and developers have carved out a place for

t hem selves in t he niche of t he online pressroom . Am ong t hem is Wieck Media Services of Addison, Texas, which has done pressroom s for Honda and Toyot a and m anages online im ages for Daim lerChrysler, General Mot ors, and Ford. Wieck first went int o business as an im age dist ribut or for The New York Tim es and t hen branched out int o I nt ernet developm ent . Chairm an and CEO Jam es F. Wieck says working wit h his com pany is a wise invest m ent whet her it 's m anaging t he whole pressroom or j ust m aint aining your dat abase of im ages. " We save our client s t ons of m oney," he says. " They used t o send all t hat st uff out in hard press kit s wit h t hreering binders full of slides." Wieck says his client s decide how accessible t hey want t heir pressroom s or im age archives t o be. Som e will require pressroom visit ors t o regist er t o ent er any part of t he pressroom and ot hers will require t hat st ep of only t hose people request ing highresolut ion im ages. " They don't want people com ing in and downloading an im age and doing who knows what wit h it like put t ing it on a T- shirt and selling it ," he says. Anot her reason t o require regist rat ion, he says, is t o t rack who has com e t o t he pressroom and what releases t hose people have read. This int elligence can help t he client a good deal, Wieck says, not ing t hat t he client can det erm ine which releases are popular wit h which j ournalist s and can det erm ine t hat a report er from a prom inent publicat ion needs t o be cont act ed because he or she has failed t o see an im port ant press release. Pressroom s do not need t o be expensive, Wieck says, not ing t hat t em plat es can be used t o sim plify t he design and m anagem ent so t hat an invest m ent of " a few t housand dollars" is sufficient t o get t he pressroom online. The next popular feat ure, he says, will be video clips a few seconds in lengt h t hat can be downloaded for use by TV producers. For every com pany like Chem co, Bet hlehem St eel, or Microsoft , however, t here are 10 com panies t hat have not yet caught on t o t he im port ance of a well- funct ioning online pressroom . I n our experience, it is clear t hat even t he biggest , high- revenue com panies st ill have a ways t o go in m aking t heir pressroom s m ore useful. Proct er & Gam ble, for exam ple, had an easy- t o- find link t o " News" on it s pg.com hom e page when we checked out t he sit e in early 2002. The link t ook us t o a Media Cent er t hat offered searchable press releases and ot her feat ures, such as a Phot o Gallery st ocked wit h logos, product im ages, and execut ives' port rait s. However, t he com pany st ill offered execut ives' biographies in clunky PDF files, which produced server errors and unreadable files when we t ried t o access t hem . The list of PR cont act s was also in a four- page PDF file, which is sure t o enrage report ers on deadline who m ust nervously drum t heir fingers wait ing for t he file t o download j ust t o get a phone num ber for t he appropriat e PR person. Ot her com panies, like Prudent ial, had t aken care of rudim ent ary t hings like a sim ple Web page of PR cont act s and a list of press releases, but had failed t o go t he ext ra m ile in m aking t he press releases searchable or in providing phot os or corporat e backgrounders. Ford Mot or Com pany had t aken t he t rouble t o sort it s press releases under it s various brands such as Lincoln and Jaguar, but it was im possible t o find t he nam e or t elephone num ber for a PR represent at ive. We also found t he PR represent at ives at Daim lerChrysler wit h lit t le reason t o worry about being found on t he I nt ernet . Swit chboard phone num bers for t he headquart ers in Germ any and Michigan could be found by ent erprising report ers who were willing t o look beyond t he " News" sect ion of t he com pany's sit e, which cont ains lit t le m ore t han press releases in reverse chronological order. Daim lerChrysler m ight deserve som e credit for t rying video report s in it s newsroom , but how m any busy j ournalist s will t ake t he

t im e t o wat ch daily TV report s produced for t he com pany's em ployees? B. L. Ochm an, a m arket ing st rat egist and vet eran public relat ions represent at ive, frequent ly t akes corporat e pressroom s t o t ask on her Web sit e, What 's Next Online ( what snext online.com ) . Com panies t hat fail t o put cont act inform at ion online are guilt y of what she calls " t he Wizard of Oz syndrom e," in which t hey hide behind t he curt ain prim arily because t hey're afraid of get t ing t oo m any phone calls or e- m ails from Web visit ors. " The big com panies t hink 'Oh m y God, what if consum ers can see what report ers see?'" she says wit h a laugh. " What a ridiculous concept ." Com panies t hat are locked int o t his m indset , she says, are failing t o see t he opport unit y t he I nt ernet provides t hem t o int eract direct ly wit h consum ers wit hout t he part icipat ion of report ers. " The m edia have always been t he gat ekeepers and t hey're not anym ore," she says. Ochm an counsels com panies t o be helpful t o j ournalist s by put t ing as m uch inform at ion as possible online. " What are you hiding?" she asks. " There's not hing a report er can't find on t he I nt ernet wit hout you." She advises her client s t o avoid creat ing barriers like regist rat ion form s for j ournalist s and t ells PR people not t o worry about being cut out of t he loop by displaying t heir inform at ion on t he Web sit e. " I don't t hink t here are very m any j ournalist s out t here who are going t o do t heir st ory from what t hey find on t he Web sit e wit hout calling anyone," she says. The I nt ernet is so im port ant t o public relat ions, Ochm an argues, t hat PR people should not be cont ent wit h j ust an online newsroom , and t hey should m ake sure m anagem ent underst ands t hat not using t he I nt ernet as part of corporat e PR is likely t o cost m ore in t he long run t han t he relat ively m inor cost of set t ing up and m aint aining a Web sit e. " I don't t hink it 's relevant whet her it cost s m ore or cost s less," she says. " These are t he t ools we have t o use." She suggest s t hat PR people dem onst rat e t o corporat e execut ives how t o use t he I nt ernet for research t o im press on t hem how a Web sit e affect s t he im age of t he com pany. Prospect ive cust om ers have t heir percept ions of a com pany shaped by t he ent ire Web sit e—not j ust t he pressroom —so public relat ions people should be in charge of t he ent ire Web sit e, she says. However, Ochm an rem ains unconvinced t hat t he PR indust ry will heed her advice and st art using t he I nt ernet t o it s advant age. A big part of t he problem , she says, is a cont inued preoccupat ion wit h get t ing ink from large m edia out let s like The New York Tim es. Client s, she says, need t o be t old t hat effect ive PR goes beyond a t ally of clippings. She calls t his Realit yPR™. The I nt ernet , she not es, is all about vert ical m arket ing and it has present ed PR people wit h a way t o t arget t heir m essages at t he t rade j ournals and t he Web sit es t hat cat er t o readers who do business in part icular indust ries. The I nt ernet should be used t o build relat ionships wit h lim it ed num bers of appropriat e report ers and not as a m eans t o broadcast product announcem ent s t o 1,000 j ournalist s. " Journalist s are not int erest ed in your lat est doodad," she says. " What t hey care about is how your doodad affect s a lot of people and why." What Ochm an has observed about corporat e pressroom s rings t rue wit h our own experiences and wit h what I nt ernet usabilit y guru Jakob Nielsen of t he Nielsen Norm an Group found in 2001 when he put t he online pressroom s of m aj or com panies t o t he t est . He found he was able t o answer 60 percent of his quest ions online, which he describes as a decent success rat e com pared t o t he difficult ies t hat I nt ernet users oft en encount er in t rying t o com plet e ot her t asks, such as locat ing and purchasing m erchandise. However, Nielsen not es t hat leaving 40 percent of quest ions unanswered is unaccept ably high in t he PR business and som et hing t hat com panies m ust work on if t hey are going t o m eet t he needs of t oday's j ournalist s.

He echoes our frust rat ion wit h corporat e sit es t hat fail t o ident ify PR represent at ives, not ing t hat 45 percent of t he pressroom s he st udied failed t o include t he t elephone num bers of PR people who m ight com e t o t he rescue of a j ournalist whose quest ions are not answered by t he Web sit e. Nielsen's report list s t he t op five reasons j ournalist s use online pressroom s and t he list rings t rue wit h our own experiences: Find a PR cont act ( nam e and t elephone num ber) Check basic fact s about t he com pany ( spelling of an execut ive's nam e, his or her age, headquart ers locat ion, et c.) Discover t he com pany's own spin on event s Check financial inform at ion Download im ages t o use as illust rat ions in st ories The report also offered im port ant advice for t he t ypes of files t hat com panies should consider put t ing online. Alt hough audio and video of press conferences feat uring a com pany's CEO m ight be cut t ing edge, Nielsen not es t hat m any j ournalist s have slow I nt ernet connect ions and are best served wit h sim ple HTML docum ent s rat her t han PDFs or Flash present at ions. Nielsen also point s out t he global reach of corporat e Web sit es and t he result ing need, for exam ple, t o m ake dat e references clear. A press release should be dat ed Oct ober 3, 2002 for clarit y's sake, he writ es, because 10- 03- 02 will be read as March 10 by m any overseas visit ors and your sit e will be perceived as out of dat e. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Imperative #2: Don't Eliminate Humans Alt hough it is im perat ive t o em power j ournalist s t o find inform at ion on t heir own, we t hink it 's im port ant t hat PR represent at ives not lose sight of t he need t o have people available on t he phone or in person t o answer report ers' queries. I n Deirdre Breakenridge's own experience as PR represent at ive for JVC Professional Product s Com pany, she found t hat having a well- st ocked newsroom did not necessarily decrease t he need for hum an cont act . The sit e for t he elect ronics m anufact urer had t echnical product specificat ions, suggest ed ret ail prices, high- resolut ion im ages of product s, logos, product com parisons, case st udies of users, and ot her feat ures. However, JVC not iced t hat edit ors need t o be assist ed t hrough t he online inform at ion- gat hering process. Most edit ors find t he cont act inform at ion for t he PR agency and t hen call t o verify t hey have t he right inform at ion. I n ot her cases, som e edit ors say t hey are j ust t oo busy t o go t hrough t he online newsroom and prefer t o m ake a quick call t o t he PR cont act t o request t hat copies of t he appropriat e docum ent s be sent t o t hem . [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

The Flip Side We t alk m ore in fut ure chapt ers about how t he I nt ernet 's im pact on j ournalism is changing t he role of PR people. I t 's wort h point ing out here, t hough, t hat t he ot her significant im pact t hat t he I nt ernet has had on public relat ions is a rise in t he num ber of news- orient ed sit es wit h const ant dem ands for copy. I t is t rue t hat m ore t han a few went bust in t he recession, but m any ot hers have survived wit h shrunken edit orial st affs m ore desperat e t han ever for copy. I n som e cases, report ers have been t aken alm ost ent irely out of t he equat ion and t here are opport unit ies for PR people t o have t heir press releases published wit hout m uch edit orial review. As we m ent ioned earlier in our t wo scenarios involving The Sm allt own Gazet t e, sit es like Yahoo! Finance give im m ediat e play t o any press release you dist ribut e over Business Wire or PR Newswire, ensuring t hat t he release is feat ured wit h all ot her news about your public com pany. However, t here are m any m ore sit es, ranging from m anagem ent consult ant s t o healt h m aint enance organizat ions ( HMOs) t hat are so hungry for edit orial cont ent t hat t hey will pick up releases from t he m aj or dist ribut ors. " The Net has changed what we all t hink of as t he m edia resources we need t o work wit h," says Sharon VanSickle, general m anager of Fleishm an- Hillard's Pacific Nort hwest offices. She not es t hat press releases FH develops for it s client s are oft en post ed on sit es operat ed by financial inst it ut ions or consult ant s, and on news- orient ed Web sit es creat ed t o serve niche m arket s, such as t he use of t echnology in t he t rucking or healt h- care indust ries. This m eans t hat care should be t aken t o writ e t he releases in an accessible language t hat is appropriat e for consum ers. Our own experience t ells us t hat even t radit ional news organizat ions are m ore willing t o publish press releases verbat im or in edit ed form in t heir online venues t han t hey would ordinarily do in print . A m aj or reason for t his is t hat m any publicat ions have squeezed exist ing st aff for t he addit ional copy needed t o feed t he publicat ion's Web sit e, so report ers are oft en frant ic t o find som et hing t hey can cont ribut e every day or som et im es t wice a day t o fulfill t heir online obligat ions. These I nt ernet - driven dem ands am ount t o an open door for PR people who are fam iliar wit h a publicat ion and it s online cousin and are able t o offer up suit able releases t hat lend t hem selves t o quick report s. A release t hat includes t he who, what , where, when, and why of an event , plus som e cont ext from an indust ry analyst , st ands a good chance of get t ing published on a lot of Web sit es wit hout m uch edit orial int erference. Of course, it 's good t o rem em ber B. L. Ochm an's rule about looking beyond press releases concerning your " lat est doodad." She counsels her client s t o develop Top 10 list s and helpful art icles t hat are not sales orient ed t hat can help sat isfy Web sit e edit ors' dem ands for copy and help t o build a percept ion of your client as a t rust ed expert . I n our next chapt er, we focus on t he ways in which e- m ail can be used m ore effect ively t o get your client 's m essage out t o t he right j ournalist s and opinion m akers.

PR INTERVIEW: IBM's Matthew Anchin I BM has had an online Pressroom since early 1996 and Mat t hew Anchin, m anager of it s operat ions, has been responsible for t he sit e since m id1999. The m ission of t he Pressroom , he says, is t o help j ournalist s in t heir coverage of I BM. I t is not considered a m oney- saver because t he sit e is " synergist ic wit h day- t o- day PR, not a replacem ent ." A link labeled " Journalist s" on t he I BM hom e page ( ibm .com ) brings Net users t o t he Pressroom . However, Anchin knows t hat t he service at t ract s m ore t han working press. " What t he I nt ernet has done is m ake everyt hing available t o everyone," he says. " I t brings t he public back int o 'public relat ions.'" Of course, I BM could have t aken a different approach and required prospect ive users of it s Pressroom t o com plet e a regist rat ion form t o get a password for t he sit e, but Anchin says t hat would have been a bad idea. " My audience won't put up wit h t hat . They won't st and for it ," he says. " That t ends t o be a significant barrier t o ent ry." Key feat ures of t he Pressroom include a searchable archive of press releases t hat is updat ed in a t im ely fashion when new releases are sent out t hrough wire services. The releases can be browsed chronologically and are sort ed int o cat egories t o provide what Anchin calls " m ult iple views of t he inform at ion." Background dat a about t he com pany is updat ed quart erly t o reflect t he lat est em ployee headcount , business locat ions, and ot her fact s. A dat abase of PR pract it ioners is m aint ained on t he sit e so t hat report ers can ident ify and cont act t he person responsible for a part icular t echnology or unit of t he com pany. Anchin says t he idea of using a single PR@ibm .com e- m ail box was never considered. " We're here t o work wit h j ournalist s, so why should we be erect ing barriers?" he asks. The price t o pay for publicizing t he personal e- m ail addresses of PR reps is a few m isdirect ed em ails from consum ers who need help wit h a product or ask about a warrant y. " We t ry our best t o handle t hem ," he says, explaining t hat t hose e- m ails can be forwarded very easily t o t he appropriat e depart m ent s. To guarant ee t hat press releases can be post ed quickly, st aff m em bers in t he corporat e com m unicat ions depart m ent have t he abilit y t o add new releases t o t he Web sit e aut om at ically wit hout t he assist ance of a Webm ast er or ot her t echnical personnel. Anchin says I BM has high st andards for it s Web sit es—and it m ust —because t he public expect s a lot from a t echnology com pany. Nevert heless, Big Blue faces t he sam e challenges t hat Web sit e operat ors are grappling wit h in j ust about any indust ry. Chief am ong t hem is t he need t o unify t he Web effort s of various int ernal groups, while updat ing services t hat were built on t echnologies t hat are no longer on t he cut t ing edge. " You're t rying t o solve som e of t he problem s you creat ed for yourself when t he Web was t his new t hing," Anchin says. Of part icular concern for I BM is t he fact t hat it does business in 160 count ries, which m eans t hat a variet y of PR pract it ioners are operat ing different I BM Pressroom sit es around t he world. An obvious goal is t o int egrat e t heir operat ions so t hey are not all st ruggling t o keep t heir sit es

current . " We're em barking on t he next evolut ionary st ep on how t his sit e works and how it works wit h ot her count ry sit es out t here," Anchin says, explaining t hat one goal is t o build a com m on back- end syst em t hat could feed releases ont o t he various I BM sit es. A m ore powerful search engine is also on t he wish list , he says. Anchin acknowledges all t he predict ions about fast er I nt ernet connect ion speeds, but he isn't running t o load up I BM's Pressroom wit h st ream ing m edia files. I BM's I nvest or Relat ions depart m ent offers Webcast s of financial press conferences, he not es, but t he Pressroom is not planning t o st ock up on audio and video right now. " I 'm not fully convinced t hat 's what j ournalist s are looking for yet ," he says. " I 'm not sure j ournalist s want t o sit and list en t o a whole speech," he adds. " Maybe t ranscript s would be bet t er." I BM get s unsolicit ed feedback from j ournalist s and occasionally asks quest ions of Pressroom visit ors t o det erm ine what ot her feat ures or im provem ent s are needed. Anchin acknowledges t hat it also helps t o keep an eye on what ot her com panies are doing in t heir online newsroom s. He says t he m aj orit y of I BM Pressroom 's visit ors are doing basic research t hat involves searches of press releases and following links t o ot her ibm .com pages t hat offer great er det ail about t he com pany's product s. Anchin suggest s t hat t he Pressroom 's biggest im pact on t he day- t o- day act ivit ies of I BM's PR people m ight be t hat fewer im ages are m ailed out on Zip disks because im age files are now online for quick downloads. However, m aking inform at ion available for t he t aking has not great ly reduced t he num ber of phone calls I BM receives. " The press sit e has helped j ournalist s find out fast who t hey need t o t alk t o," Anchin says. Report ers st ill seek out PR people who are knowledgeable about a subj ect area and can help t o put t he lat est news int o cont ext and line up int erview subj ect s. " The value PR plays t o a com pany has not gone away," he says, not ing t hat t he fut ure m ight see m ore PR people wit h engineering degrees who are able t o educat e report ers about I BM's t echnology and vision. Finally, we asked Anchin if I BM had calculat ed t he ret urn on invest m ent of it s Pressroom . His answer im plied t hat such figures would be confident ial, but he added: " We are invest ing in a new, bigger, bet t er Pressroom . I would say t hat is pret t y good t est am ent t o what we t hink of it ."

PR INTERVIEW: Bethlehem Steel's James D. Courtney Jam es D. Court ney m akes it plain t o an int erviewer t hat he's no t echie. He also doesn't consider him self an I nt ernet visionary. As Bet helehem St eel's direct or of m arket ing com m unicat ions, he pushed t he com pany t o est ablish a Web sit e in 1996 because he t hought it was good for branding, but he also saw it as a solut ion for old paper- based syst em s t hat were j ust t oo difficult t o keep up wit h. I n part icular, Court ney says he and t he com pany's sm all PR st aff were t ired

of fielding last - m inut e request s from frenzied m agazine or newspaper edit ors who needed a phot o of t he Golden Gat e Bridge, t he Delaware Mem orial Bridge, or any ot her st eel st ruct ure in Bet hlehem 's large phot o archive. Each request required som eone t o go t hrough files and get t he phot o int o t he m ail and t hen refile im ages t hat were ret urned. Digit al phot ography was not a hot t opic in 1996, but Court ney saw t he I nt ernet 's applicabilit y and hired an out side service t o scan t he m ost request ed im ages and put t hem on bet hst eel.com in a feat ure called I m age Bank. The News Room and I m age Bank soon grew " like t opsy," Court ney says, and he began doing his own scanning and post ing of im ages. Press releases are added t o t he News Room by sim ply convert ing Microsoft Word files t o HTML and post ing t hem . A PDF version is also offered for each release in case report ers want t o print t hem out . The releases can be searched by t he Web sit e's overall search funct ion, which ret urns hit s on all act ive files on t he Web server regardless of whet her t hey are in t he News Room or in ot her areas of t he sit e. Court ney says his philosophy has been t o m ake all inform at ion convenient ly accessible t o j ournalist s wit hout t he need for passwords or regist rat ion. " How im port ant is it t o keep sat isfied t he people who have your reput at ion in t heir hands when t hey put pen t o paper?" he asks. The one except ion t o his open- access rule is in Bet hlehem 's handling of high- resolut ion im ages. Low- resolut ion im ages are available on t he sit e, but Court ney requires anyone seeking a high- resolut ion im age t o fill out an online form t hat indicat es where t he im age is t o be print ed. The request s are forwarded t o Court ney, who t hen put s t he im age on t he Web server and e- m ails a specific URL t o t he request er where he or she can ret rieve t he im age. Keeping all t he high- resolut ion im ages off t he Web server saves t he server from t he burden of an ext ra gigabyt e of dat a, he says, but m ore im port ant , t he request process gives Bet hlehem an opport unit y t o m onit or who is using it s im ages. Report ers and phot o edit ors have t he m inor inconvenience of filling out t he form , he argues, but t hey st ill get t he request ed im ages m ore quickly t han in pre- I nt ernet days and Bet hlehem get s t he benefit of knowing how im ages are used. The com pany has det erm ined t hat about 80 percent of t he request s for high- resolut ion im ages are from t he news m edia, 10 percent are from engineers and academ ics int erest ed in st eelm aking, and 10 percent are from schoolchildren working on t erm papers. The com pany has also weeded out suspicious request s for im ages of bridges and ot her st ruct ures from Web visit ors who failed t o st at e a reason for t heir request s in t he days of height ened securit y awareness following t he Sept em ber 11, 2001 t errorist at t acks. Court ney says his experience t ells him t hat a st rong online pressroom is even m ore im port ant for a sm all com pany t han a large one. " You bet t er do t his if you don't have a PR st aff of 25," he says. " Get it digit ized and get it available for self- serve." Bet hlehem 's News Room was designed as part of it s overall Web sit e, which Court ney says was done for " about $50K." He says Bet hlehem is now able t o updat e 99 percent of t he sit e's cont ent on it s own wit hout a developer's assist ance, which m eans t hat m aint aining t he sit e is not expensive.

PR INTERVIEW: Air Products' PR and Graphic Design/Web Teams Bet h Ment esana, a 24- year PR vet eran, has not been m anager of corporat e PR at Air Product s for very long, so she st ill views t he com pany sort of like an out sider and rem ains im pressed wit h it s com m it m ent t o t he I nt ernet as an im port ant com ponent of t he overall com m unicat ions process. The com pany has an int ernal graphic design/ Web developm ent t eam and t hat has cert ainly helped t he PR depart m ent in it s effort s t o keep it s online Press Room updat ed wit h t he lat est releases and ot her pert inent inform at ion. " They're willing t o com m it m oney and resources t o doing t his well and keeping it fresh not only because it 's t he sm art t hing t o do, but also because our m easurem ent st udies and focus groups confirm it s value t o our businesses," she says. Joe Eilenberg, supervisor of t he com pany's graphic design t eam , says t he PR group also has leveraged it s resources well by collect ing m at erials from various part s of t he nearly $6- billion com pany, which has 14 different st rat egic unit s. I nst ead of filling t he Press Room wit h m at erials creat ed only for PR purposes, t he PR group has viewed t he Web pages as an online reposit ory for resources creat ed t hroughout t he com pany. This m eans t hat som e of t he phot os or videos in t he Mult im edia Gallery m ight have been creat ed t o support a m arket ing cam paign, invest ors' conference, or an em ployee m eet ing. I m ages from t he annual report are in t he dat abase, as are som e videos creat ed for int ernal t raining. " I t hink t he whole video port ion is a developing area," says Ment esana. She recalls one inst ance in which t he availabilit y of video clips online helped a t echnology supplier t hat want ed t o include foot age of an Air Product s fact ory floor in a sales present at ion t hat boast ed of t he supplier's t op cust om ers. The supplier was able t o get t he video quickly wit hout having t o ask Air Product s t o put a videot ape in t he m ail. " Webcast ing is also increasing in dem and," Ment esana point s out , " as shareholders, em ployees, and t he m edia want real- t im e inform at ion, as well as t he opt ion t o see and hear replays of Webcast ed financial conferences and press conferences." Ment esana not es t hat Air Product s is now Webcast ing all of it s quart erly financial t eleconferences and will do t he sam e for m aj or press announcem ent s. Kat ie Zam olyi, a form er senior com m unicat ions specialist on t he com pany's e- business t eam , says t he t hree- year- old online Press Room saves t im e t hat used t o be spent on t racking down and m ailing out logos, backgrounders, phot os, and ot her inform at ion. Ment asana adds t hat t he t im e saved is now used m ore effect ively. " Having t his capabilit y gives us m ore t im e t o spend on com ing up wit h st ory ideas, m aking phone calls, and m eet ing wit h edit ors," she says. " Regardless of how sophist icat ed we are t echnologically, we are st ill dealing wit h people. True relat ionships are built t hrough phone conversat ions and face- t o- face int eract ions."

Ment esana says she has never worried t hat a well- st ocked Press Room m ight cause report ers not t o call her PR t eam . " I t 's incum bent upon us t o engage," she says. " We have t o t ake t he t im e t o find out who covers us and where we want our audience t o read about us." Zam olyi, m eanwhile, not es t hat while t he Press Room helps report ers underst and t he com plex com pany's st ruct ure and product s, t hey st ill have quest ions. " We st ill get a lot of calls," she report s. The Press Room also figures prom inent ly in Air Product s' plans for em ergencies, says Ment esana, who not es t hat " dark" Web pages have been developed t hat could be swit ched on im m ediat ely in t he unlikely event of a crisis. " I f we don't fill t he vacuum of inform at ion, som ebody else will," she says. Eilenberg says one im port ant lesson Air Product s has learned from it s Web experience is t o keep only one copy of a press release or ot her resource on it s sit e t o facilit at e easy updat ing. Business unit s t hat m ight want t o showcase t he release should place a point er on t heir Web pages rat her t han a copy of t he docum ent , he says, so t hat t he PR st aff can m ake correct ions or updat es on only t hat one docum ent . This principle is som et hing t he PR depart m ent is keeping in m ind as it seeks t o work m ore closely wit h t he com pany's Web sit es in various count ries, says Debbie Bauer, com m unicat ions coordinat or for t he PR group. One goal is t o m ake sure t hat t he people responsible for Web pages in ot her count ries all point back t o t he original docum ent in t he m ain Press Room , she not es. " Wit hout t hat , you risk having inconsist ent inform at ion in different areas of t he com pany's Web sit e," she says. Having an up- t o- dat e, easy- t o- navigat e online Press Room has m ade m y j ob m ore efficient ," Bauer adds, " because I can respond im m ediat ely t o edit ors' needs. Rat her t han produce som et hing and put it in t he m ail, I can direct t hem t o t he Press Room where t he inform at ion and visuals t hey need are readily available. I n som e cases, t hat m ay m ake t he difference bet ween being able t o m eet a t ight deadline result ing in posit ive coverage versus get t ing no m ent ion at all." Ment esana insert s a final not e: " Having som eone like Debbie, who t akes her role as a Press Room coordinat or very seriously, is our 'secret weapon.' You need an organized, det ail- orient ed individual in t his role, who knows t he com pany, has good int erpersonal skills, underst ands t he PR profession, and m aint ains a sense of urgency about keeping inform at ion consist ent and current .

JOURNALIST INTERVIEW: Professor Dianne Lynch of St. Michael's College Dianne Lynch is cert ain t hat she could not have t he career she has right now if it weren't for t he I nt ernet .

For one t hing, it has provided her wit h fodder for her scholarly pursuit s as an associat e professor of j ournalism at St . Michael's College in Verm ont . She has writ t en a book called Virt ual Et hics: Debat ing Media Values in a Digit al Age ( Coursewise, 1998) about t he difficult ies in dist inguishing bet ween edit orial and advert ising cont ent . She is also doing research for t he Online News Associat ion, which represent s I nt ernet news sit es. However, Lynch is also a working j ournalist and addict ed t o t he I nt ernet as an inform at ion source for what she writ es. " I could not have lived in Verm ont and done t he kind of j ournalism I do now 10 years ago," she says. Originally a newspaperwom an from Wisconsin, Lynch has cont ribut ed t o USA Today and The Christ ian Science Monit or , and m ost recent ly has writ t en a regular colum n about wom en and t echnology for ABCNEWS's abcnews.com . What she has seen in a 20- year career, she says, is a rem arkable shift ing of relat ionships bet ween j ournalist s and PR people. " They were t he people who decided when and where and how you got t he inform at ion t hat you needed t o do your j ob," she says of PR professionals. " There was a sym biosis t here." The I nt ernet , Lynch argues, has m ade j ournalist s m ore aut onom ous because t hey are now able t o get press kit s online and locat e phone num bers or e- m ail addresses for t op execut ives wit hout t he help of PR people. " There's no longer a need from t he j ournalist 's perspect ive t o go t o t hat gat ekeeper," she says. " We want t o be t he decision m akers." " I can't rem em ber t he last t im e I t alked t o a PR agency," says Lynch, who explains how successful she's been in using t he I nt ernet t o get t he hom e and office phone num bers of t op corporat e brass. Det ails about com panies and t heir product s are in t heir online pressroom s or available t hrough t hird part ies like Hoover's Online or t he SEC's Edgar dat abase. Ot her services like Google m ake it possible t o find out what cust om ers have said about a com pany or it s product s in any of t housands of online newsgroups or discussion boards. " There are j ust t oo m any places for j ournalist s t o get inform at ion," says Lynch. PR people can st ill m ake t hem selves relevant t o j ournalist s by providing t hem wit h special insight s or a t im ely heads- up before an announcem ent , Lynch says, but m ost have not . The t ypical PR e- m ail appears t o be part of a m ass m ailing sent out t o blanket a huge m edia list rat her t han a personalized m essage t o a select group of j ournalist s wit h whom t he PR person is t rying t o build a relat ionship, Lynch not es. " And relat ionships are m ore key t han ever because we don't have t o go t o t hem ." This failure t o use e- m ail t o st rengt hen relat ionships is one exam ple of how PR people have not recognized t he ext ent t o which t he I nt ernet has changed t heir relat ionship wit h j ournalist s, Lynch says. " I don't know t hat I t hink PR is going t o go away, but I t hink it s role is definit ely going t o change," she says. She suggest s t hat PR people will com e t o recognize t hat t hey cannot st and bet ween t heir client s and t he press and will, inst ead, see t heir role as helping t heir client s deliver t heir m essage m ore effect ively. PR people m ight need t o becom e bet t er versed in business st rat egies, psychology, m arket ing, and even public speaking, Lynch says. A good place t o st art m ight be t o focus on m aking t he t op execut ives who are now m ore exposed t o t he press int o bet t er represent at ives of t heir com panies, she not es. " Many of t hem don't underst and t he concept of a core m essage."

I n addit ion, Lynch recom m ends t hat PR people becom e m ore expert at learning about what 's on t he I nt ernet . She recalls t he exam ple of form er I nfoseek execut ive Pat rick Naught on, who was arrest ed on sex charges in 1999 based on his conversat ions in a chat room wit h an undercover police officer. " There's no such t hing as being invisible online anym ore," she not es. " PR people need t o know where t heir client s are leaving t racks." As for t he I nt ernet 's im pact on j ournalism beyond day- t o- day inform at ion gat hering, Lynch sees her locat ion in Verm ont as indicat ive of a larger t rend. " The power cent ers around j ournalism are shift ing," she says, not ing t hat it is no longer im port ant t o be in New York Cit y or Washingt on, DC, if t he sam e inform at ion is available online from Wisconsin or Mont ana. This m eans t hat readers benefit from get t ing a " diversit y of perspect ives," she adds. " I 'm an I nt ernet zealot if t here ever was one," she confesses. " I really believe it has shift ed fundam ent ally t he sources of inform at ion and t he nat ure of t hat inform at ion." [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 7. Using E-Mail Smartly Just because it 's cheap, don't abuse it . Don't hit " send" t oo quickly. " I t 's only an e- m ail" cannot be an excuse for sloppiness. As im port ant as a t op- not ch online pressroom is t o your overall PR st rat egy, we all know t hat t he report ers at t he publicat ions you seek t o t arget are probably not going t o j ust flock t o your online newsroom . E- m ail is m ost likely t he t ool t hat you'll use t o at t ract t heir at t ent ion and get t hem int erest ed in your client . I n t his chapt er, we discuss how t o use t he t ool effect ively, how t o avoid som e of t he errors m ade in t he early days of e- m ail, and t he need t o be vigilant in upholding your st andards even when using a m edium as inform al as e- m ail. St rangely enough, you could act ually argue t hat e- m ail and public relat ions are not a good m at ch for one anot her. Consider t his list of t he ways in which e- m ail cont radict s m any of t he pract ices t hat PR professionals consider t o be sound: E- m ail has t he abilit y t o reach t he m asses. PR, on t he cont rary, is ext rem ely t arget ed. The prem ise behind e- m ail is quick com m unicat ion. PR t eaches execut ives t o form ulat e m essages carefully. E- m ail is a relaxed form of com m unicat ion t hat oft en neglect s punct uat ion, proper spelling, and gram m ar, and is not form al by nat ure. Do we even have t o com m ent on what professionals are t aught regarding all form s of com m unicat ion, spoken and writ t en? Because e- m ail correspondence is relaxed, t here's a t endency t o t ype quickly and worry about what was said aft er t he writ er clicks Send. This t ype of pract ice is unheard of in PR t ext books. E- m ail is rarely proofread t he way PR professionals are t aught t o proofread. Honest ly, how m any people read t heir e- m ail backwards t o cat ch spelling errors? Now, wit h so m any st icking point s, why are PR professionals st uck on e- m ail? There are num erous reasons ( speed and ease of use com e t o m ind im m ediat ely) . We've put t oget her som e basic principles t hat we t hink will help you use e- m ail effect ively wit hout falling int o som e of t he t raps we've j ust m ent ioned.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

How to Use E-Mail Effectively Principle #1: Ease of Distribution Does Not Necessarily Mean Distribution to the Masses This is probably t he biggest m isunderst anding t hat PR people, as a whole, have had about e- m ail. Given t he fact t hat e- m ail is pract ically free, m any people have decided t hat e- m ailing 200 j ournalist s is bet t er t han e- m ailing only 50. This t hinking seem ed t o be part icularly com m on during t he dot - com craze when st art ups desperat e for t he at t ent ion t hey needed t o at t ract cust om ers, em ployees, and addit ional funding, were especially guilt y of e- m ailing long list s of m edia cont act s. Som e of t hem even com m it t ed t he cardinal sin of leaving t he nam es of e- m ail recipient s exposed at t he t op of t he m essage so t he confident ialit y of t hose addresses was com prom ised t o everyone else on t he list . Large- scale " e- m ail blast s" t o long list s of report ers produced m any cries of " Spam ! " and helped t o lower t he est eem of PR people in t he eyes of m any report ers. Their com plaint s were com m unicat ed t o client s, who generally don't like being called spam m ers, and now it is m ore com m on for client s t o ask quest ions about how m any report ers will be receiving t heir e- m ailed press releases and how t hose recipient s are t o be select ed. Consider t he following exam ple of a client who was so concerned about t he st igm a of being labeled a spam m er t hat he had lot s of quest ions for his PR agency about t he num bers of e- m ail m essages it was sending out on behalf of his archit ect ural firm . The PR agency had provided him wit h m ore t han 10 e- m ail list s, wit h at least 50 m edia out let s per list . The m edia list s included educat ional, m unicipal, archit ect ural, engineering, real est at e, and regional and nat ional newspapers, t o nam e a few. The CEO of t his archit ect ural firm had every right t o be concerned wit h t his large list and so he quickly called his PR account execut ive. The CEO explained his concerns regarding spam m ing t o t he PR execut ive, who im m ediat ely recognized t hat t he PR firm had not adequat ely explained it s e- m ail pract ices. The PR person t hen explained t hat not every release would go t o all of t he different m edia out let s on t he various m ast er list s t hat t he client had in his possession. Crit eria such as t he t ype of archit ect ural proj ect developed by t he firm and t he t ype of news involving t he firm , t he readership dem ographics of a part icular publicat ion, and t he t ype of news covered by t he m edia out let , would be used in det erm ining who got which releases. The PR account execut ive reinforced t o t he CEO t hat alt hough t he process had changed t o I nt ernet dist ribut ion, it was st ill ext rem ely t arget ed using t he appropriat e list s, which were always verified for accuracy. The agency cont inued t o em ploy it s policy of only dist ribut ing t o m edia people who want ed t o receive t he archit ect ural firm 's correspondence. I n addit ion, t he agency abided by t he request s of any edit ors who asked for t heir correspondence in anot her fashion. Last ly, if an edit or want ed t o be rem oved from t he e- m ail dist ribut ion list , his or her request was grant ed. The CEO required no furt her explanat ion and his fears of being known as a spam m er subsided. Alt hough t his scenario had a happy ending, it illust rat es how sensit ive m any client s have becom e and how im port ant it is for PR people t o do t he legwork t hat needs t o be done t o com pile t arget ed m edia list s wit h e- m ail addresses of appropriat e j ournalist s.

Principle #2: Quick Communication via E-Mail Does Not Mean Poorly Formulated Messages Just because you can t ype up an e- m ail and send it out quickly t hat doesn't m ean you have t o do t hings t hat way. I n fact , t he quickness of e- m ail gives us t im e we can use t o m ake press releases bet t er t han t hey m ight have been in t he past . More people in m ore locat ions can be involved in draft ing and approving t he releases before t hey are e- m ailed t o report ers. Our point is illust rat ed by t he exam ple of a m anager of m arket ing com m unicat ions at a well- known elect ronics m anufact urer who needed t o get a news release out in response t o a com pet it or's announcem ent . E- m ails st art ed t o circulat e am ong several execut ives of t he elect ronics firm and t he PR agency. The norm al news release process bet ween t his agency and it s client usually involved j ust one PR account execut ive and t he m arket ing com m unicat ions m anager, who would pass a draft or t wo back and fort h. However, t his announcem ent was different and involved at least t hree execut ives forwarding revisions and inform at ion t o t he agency for furt her developm ent of t he release. During t he process ot her m em bers of t he elect ronics firm ( not involved wit h t he revisions) circulat ed m essages such as t he following, " Let 's act swift ly! " and " We have t o get our m essage out quickly." Despit e t he pressure t o m ove forward prem at urely, t he release rolled out successfully when all t he part ies were sat isfied wit h t he com pany's m essage. Due t o t he nat ure and sensit ivit y of t he com m unicat ion, t he act of using e- m ail int ernally t o form ulat e t he proper m essage, and not rush out wit h a half- baked m essage, was a st rat egic decision t hat enhanced t he firm 's posit ion in t he eyes of t he m edia and cust om ers. Despit e a nat ural t endency t o use e- m ail for quick com m unicat ion, t he preceding exam ple illust rat es how a com pany was able t o t ake t he proper am ount of t im e t o const ruct a news release t hat st rat egically addressed a crit ical issue. The use of em ail back and fort h bet ween m any execut ives and t he PR agency facilit at ed com m unicat ion and produced a st ronger m essage t hat was dist ribut ed t o t he m edia. I n t he pre–e- m ail age, it would have t aken t wice as long t o get t his m essage correct . We recognize t hat our exam ple m ight be an except ion t o t he regular pract ice given t he t rem endous at t ract ion of st riking quickly wit h an e- m ailed release regardless of it s qualit y. I t 's easy t o im agine a PR professional short ening t he draft ing process by arguing t hat " t oo m any hands are in t he pot " or a client so eager t o get a m essage out t hat he or she m ight rush t he form ulat ing process. We urge PR professionals t o resist t he pressures t o short - circuit t he m essage form ulat ion process. I nst ead of t hinking of e- m ail as a t ool t hat pushes us t o act quickly, we should see it as som et hing t hat awards us t he ext ra t im e t hat we need t o m ake our m essage bet t er and m ore effect ive.

Principle #3: There's No Excuse for Careless Correspondence E- m ail is not , by any m eans, an excuse t o com m unicat e wit h errors, such as m ist akes in gram m ar, punct uat ion, and spelling. The PR professional is t rained t o com m unicat e in an effort t o creat e a posit ive im pression, im age, or percept ion. I n PR, we com m unicat e t o im press, and wit h every com m unicat ion a com pany has it s brand im age t o uphold. You've heard t he popular saying, " First im pressions are

last ing." Well, on t he I nt ernet , wit h every im pression ( not j ust t he first ) , you m ust live up t o a cust om er's st andards. Proper com m unicat ion is always expect ed. Any im perfect ions in com m unicat ion are a direct reflect ion on a brand. Not only does t he brand suffer from sloppy com m unicat ion, so does t he PR person who is sending t he m essage ( in t he case of e- m ail) . Rem em ber, even if your client forwards a sloppy m essage t o you t hat does not have punct uat ion or cont ains spelling m ist akes, you know bet t er. PR professionals and t he brands t hey support are j udged via any com m unicat ion channel, so don't let your guard down. You're always being j udged. One client gave it s PR firm a t errible t ongue lashing over a spelling error in an e- m ail t hat was circulat ed int ernally bet ween t he PR agency and t he com pany's m arket ing t eam . The m arket ing direct or was candid wit h t he PR person when she st at ed, " Quit e frankly, it m akes m e a lit t le nervous about what your agency sends out on our behalf." Even t hough t he PR person's first react ion m ight be, " I t 's only an em ail," t here's st ill no excuse. Professionals and t heir com panies are j udged by t he way t hey present t hem selves in correspondence, and e- m ail is no different . There's definit ely a t im e and a place for relaxed correspondence. For inst ance, t yping e- m ail t o a friend or business colleague of equal rank, in short ened sent ences and wit hout careful at t ent ion t o gram m ar, is a com m on pract ice. However, t here are sit uat ions in which you should t hink t wice about using relaxed e- m ails forwarded bet ween t he following part ies: Client and PR agency ( wat ch t he punct uat ion and t he gram m ar, no m at t er how long you have worked wit h a com pany) Com pany and it s st akeholders ( t his includes com m unicat ion wit h em ployees, suppliers, dist ribut ors, shareholders, et c.) Em ployees and t heir supervisors or senior m anagem ent in t he com pany PR professionals and t he m edia Com pany execut ives and t he m edia Anot her at t ribut e of e- m ail t hat is wort h rem em bering here is t hat it is easily forwarded. The relaxed or carelessly writ t en e- m ail you m ight int end t o share wit h only senior m anagers could end up in a report er's inbox if any of t hose m anagers wishes t o share it . Such was t he case in March 2000 at Cerner Corporat ion, a healt h- care soft ware developm ent com pany, when an e- m ail m em o int ended for Cerner's m anagers becam e t he subj ect of coverage in The New York Tim es. The CEO clicked Send t oo quickly wit hout fully evaluat ing t he possible repercussions of such an e- m ail. For a com pany t hat was known for it s friendly reput at ion, t he e- m ail m em o was less t han friendly. I t cont ained angry t ones and divulged a host of sensit ive issues surely not m eant t o be publicized. What was in t hat m em o t hat was so dam aging? I nst ead of com ing across as a m ot ivat ing m essage from t he CEO, which it was originally int ended t o be, t he e- m ail was condescending, scolding, and som ewhat t hreat ening t o it s recipient s. I n t he e- m ail, t he CEO of Cerner Corporat ion chewed out t he int ended recipient s using t he following verbiage: " As m anagers you do not know what your em ployees are doing; or do not care . . . . I n eit her case, you have a problem and you will fix it or I will replace you." A st rong closing phrase was really t he st raw t hat broke t he cam el's back: " You have 2 weeks. Tick t ock." For Cerner Corporat ion, t his e- m ail affect ed t he com pany's good reput at ion wit h a st ock price t hat plum m et ed from $44 t o approxim at ely $30 in t he sam e m ont h. An am algam at ion of t he dam aging com m unicat ion, t he lack of respect paid t o Cerner's own em ployees on t he receiving end of t he int ended com m unicat ion, and t he m arred

im age was enough t o m ake t his com pany quickly realize t he m agnit ude of t he error. I t didn't m at t er how friendly Cerner appeared t o be on it s Web sit e or what ot her t ype of com m unicat ion it present ed t o it s st akeholders; it s reput at ion suffered.

Principle #4: As Tedious As It Sounds, E-Mail Communication Deserves Proofreading with the Same Scrutiny As a Snail Mail Letter in Certain Circumstances Would you be t elling a sm all whit e lie t o yourself, your boss, or your client if you said you proofread 100 percent of your out going e- m ails wit h precision? We recom m end m aking a conscious effort t o det erm ine which e- m ails deserve t he m ost careful at t ent ion. One PR firm t hat we int erviewed adm it t ed t hat even t he CEO of t he com pany was forwarding e- m ails bot h int ernally t o his em ployees as well as t o new and exist ing client s wit hout checking his work. Anot her senior- level execut ive of an int egrat ed com m unicat ions firm not ed how dangerous it is t o have e- m ail addresses pop- up aut om at ically as you t ype t hem . This execut ive learned a harsh lesson when he inadvert ent ly forwarded confident ial inform at ion t o an em ployee of t he firm who had a nam e sim ilar t o t hat of t he int ended execut ive recipient . For exam ple, t he em ail m eant for j m art in@xyzcom pany.com m ight end up wit h j m arino@xyzcom pany.com if you are not careful. Because com m unicat ion t ravels at t he speed of light and negat ive news seem s t o spread even m ore quickly, it is im perat ive t o check and recheck e- m ail correspondence. There are several ways t o screen your e- m ail for pot ent ial problem s: Professionals should not rely on only spelling and gram m ar checks—errors can st ill slip t hrough t he cracks. As a precaut ion, som e PR professionals t ype e- m ail correspondence int o a word processing docum ent , proofread wit h at least t wo set s of eyes, and t hen cut and past e it int o t he body of t he e- m ail. Professionals are also learning t o proofread subj ect lines and pay part icular at t ent ion t o keying in e- m ail addresses correct ly. Sending t est e- m ails t o yourself and colleagues is becom ing an increasingly com m on pract ice as professionals realize t hat what t hey put int o t he body of a t ext e- m ail or an HTML e- m ail is not necessarily what t he recipient sees.

Principle #5: Know the Preference of Your Recipients Just as you wouldn't want som eone filling your fax m achine wit h pages and pages of unwant ed inform at ion, m any e- m ail recipient s are very prot ect ive of t heir inboxes and do not appreciat e large e- m ail m essages t hat are slow t o download or at t achm ent s t hat could be a m eans for delivering viruses. Alt hough m any of us in PR and j ournalism have accept ed t he virus t hreat as a cost of doing business m ore easily wit h at t ached docum ent s, m any ot hers rem ain st eadfast ly opposed t o opening all at t achm ent s and are resent ful of anyone who t ries t o sneak one int o t heir inboxes. For t his reason, we advise you t o use sim ple t ext m essages t o solicit

int erest in your client s and t o t hen inquire as t o whet her it is appropriat e t o send along backgrounders and ot her press kit m at erials t hat m ight be in PDFs or t ext docum ent s. By all m eans, definit ely ask before sending along Microsoft PowerPoint present at ions as at t achm ent s. Even t he m ost pat ient and forgiving am ong us are bound t o get angry while wait ing for a huge PowerPoint at t achm ent t o squeeze it s way t hrough our skinny dial- up connect ion.

Principle #6: Send It Only Once and Move On Count less report ers have com plained t o us about PR professionals who hound t hem about whet her t hey've received an e- m ail. The t echnology is now reliable enough t hat it is generally safe t o assum e t hat your m essage has been received successfully. One good way t o double- check t his is t o send your press releases t o yourself at several different e- m ail addresses. A free Hot m ail or Yahoo! account can show you t hat t he e- m ail left your com pany and crossed t he I nt ernet t o ot her m ail servers. Anot her st ep wort h t aking is cross- checking your e- m ail list against t he list s you use t o fax and snail m ail t he sam e release. Scot t Jaschik, edit or of The Chronicle of Higher Educat ion, is am ong m any edit ors we know who are peeved about seeing t he sam e release in his e- m ail, in a fax, and t hen in his m ailbox t wo days lat er. He not es t hat t he releases he delet es from his e- m ail do not m agically becom e m ore int erest ing t o him when he get s t he fax or snail m ail copy. " Som ewhere out t here in PR land, t here's a m yt h t hat t he m ore ways you send it t he bet t er," he says. ( For m ore on Jaschik's observat ions about e- m ail, see our int erview wit h him on page 104 in t his chapt er.) [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

E-Mail Campaigns As we've not ed t hroughout t his book, t he I nt ernet has provided us all wit h a m eans of reaching not only our t radit ional const it uency of report ers, but also t he general public t hat is now accessible t o us, oft en wit hout t he int erference of j ournalist s. I n t he sam e way t hat e- m ail helps us t o reach out quickly t o report ers, it also enables us t o com m unicat e wit h t he very people who are going t o spend m oney wit h our client s. For t his reason, coordinat ed e- m ail cam paigns are becom ing m ore popular and are m eet ing wit h success when t hey are designed, im plem ent ed, and t racked properly. Heidi Anderson is a Colorado- based freelance writ er who has writ t en about e- m ail cam paigns for m arket ing Web sit e ClickZ. Her experience has t aught her t hat t he best cam paigns generally relat e t o sm aller " im pulse buys" t hat people are willing t o m ake when t hey receive an e- m ail. The Nat ional Dine Out Am erica cam paign conduct ed by Red Lobst er's parent com pany Darden Rest aurant s is a good exam ple of t his, Anderson not es, because t he e- m ail encouraged recipient s t o com e t o Red Lobst er on a part icular night in Oct ober 2001 when all t he profit s would be donat ed t o t he vict im s of t he Sept em ber 11 t errorist at t acks. ( For m ore on Darden's cam paign, see our int erview wit h Rick Walsh, senior vice president of corporat e affairs, on page 99 in t his chapt er.) I n cont rast , an e- m ail cam paign relat ed t o a large purchase, such as a new car, is going t o be m uch harder t o t rack in t erm s of effect iveness. Som e recipient s m ight click on t he e- m ail t o learn m ore about t he car on t he Web, but t heir ult im at e buying decision is likely t o be weeks or m ont hs rem oved and will probably be influenced by print and TV ads, com parat ive research, and a t est drive. Anderson's belief t hat e- m ail cam paigns can work best for im pulse buys is support ed by t he success of The Venet ian, a five- st ar Las Vegas hot el t hat t urned t o e- m ail t o fill up em pt y room s following t he Sept em ber 11 at t acks. I t s e- m ail heralded t echnologies sure t o be m ore widely used in t he fut ure of e- m ail m arket ing, including bot h video from TV com m ercials and a " call now" but t on t hat enabled recipient s t o t elephone t he hot el im m ediat ely t o t ake advant age of t he discount rat es t rum pet ed in t he e- m ail. Undert aking an e- m ail cam paign aim ed at t housands of consum ers is not a sm all t ask. We st rongly recom m end cont ract ing wit h a professional e- m ail dist ribut or t o send out your m essages. These com panies, which include DoubleClick and Cheet ahMail, have huge farm s of m ail servers capable of sending out t housands of e- m ails in a short am ount of t im e. They usually charge several hundred dollars t o set up an account and your m ailing list s and t hen a cost - per- t housand rat e ( CPM) t hat can be anywhere from $8 t o $15 wit h lower rat es for large volum es. These com panies are also adept at handling t he bounce- backs t hat occur due t o server errors or bad addresses and t hey will even int ercede on your behalf wit h spam police such as t he Mail Abuse Prevent ion Syst em ( MAPS) , who m ight t ry t o block your m ail if you are accused of spam m ing. Of course, we st rongly urge you t o great ly reduce your chances of being accused of spam m ing by direct ing your e- m ail cam paign only at recipient s who have agreed t o receive your e- m ail. We discuss t his t opic in great er dept h in our next chapt er, which is devot ed t o opt - in, perm ission based em ail.

PR INTERVIEW: Rick Walsh of Darden Restaurants " At Darden Rest aurant s, we always t hink in t erm s of t he t eam ,[ * ] and it was a part icularly t alent ed t eam of people t hat m ade t he Nat ional Dine Out For Am erica e- m ail cam paign such a huge success," st at es Walsh. The result was a com m unicat ion st rat egy t hat raised over $1.5 m illion for t he 9/ 11 Disast er Relief Fund of t he Am erican Red Cross. We asked Walsh about t he specifics of t he Nat ional Dine Out For Am erica cam paign and why he felt it was successful. Here's how Walsh responded t o our int erview quest ions: Q: Does Darden prefer e- m ail cam paigns t o t radit ional advert ising cam paigns? A: Bot h have t heir st rengt hs. We use consum er research in everyt hing we do from rest aurant planning t o com m unicat ion st rat egies and we st ay close t o our cust om ers by using a variet y of different com m unicat ion t ools. An em ail cam paign gives us t he overall flexibilit y we need as well as t he m eans t o t arget different t ast es and int erest s. I t is cost effect ive and we receive a great deal of valuable e- m ail feedback as well. Alt hough t he t elephone, m ail, and cust om er cards are used t o evaluat e our rest aurant s, we feel t hat e- m ail feedback is growing quickly as a very im port ant way t o st ay in t ouch wit h our cust om ers. Q: Why did you select an e- m ail cam paign for t he Nat ional Dine Out For Am erica cam paign? A: We felt t hat because of t he circum st ances and t he horrific event s of Sept em ber 11, an e- m ail cam paign was t he m ost unobt rusive and respect ful m et hod for our cust om ers. There was a great deal of em ot ional uncert aint y aft er 9/ 11 and we want ed t o show people t here was a way for t hem t o help by dining out and t hat t here was no m onet ary gain for Darden. The cam paign reinforced Darden's values and left it up t o t he cust om ers t o m ake t he choice of whet her or not t hey would dine out t o raise m oney. This st rat egy also gave all of us, em ployees and cust om ers alike, a way t o do som et hing t o help. Q: What were som e of t he ot her opt ions you considered and why did you rule t hem out ? A: Darden uses net work advert ising very effect ively. Hist orically we would have used t his t ype of advert ising. However, t im e was a fact or and we had less t han 30 days t o put all t his t oget her. From t he t im e t he em ployees of a rest aurant com pany in Seat t le cam e up wit h t he idea, t o t he t im e we decided t o part icipat e, t here was only so m uch com m unicat ion t hat could be coordinat ed. We decided e- m ail would be t he m ost effect ive st rat egy and adding a viral com ponent ( send t o a friend) enhanced t he cam paign response. The e- m ail blast fact or gave us t he leg up we needed and was coordinat ed wit h an in- rest aurant prom ot ion invit ing our cust om ers, vendors, friends, and fam ily t o part icipat e.

Q: Discuss t he design of t he e- m ail and it s subj ect line. A: The design had t o be sim ple and t he m essage st raight forward in order t o be effect ive. We included t he logo and inform at ion as well as a rest aurant locat or link so recipient s could find t he closest Darden rest aurant near his or her hom e. The subj ect line was probably t he m ost im port ant line of t he e- m ail. I t 's t he line t hat cat ches t he recipient 's at t ent ion. We used " For Those Who Hunger t o Help" as our lead. The em ail's design and m essage appealed t o people who were looking for a way t o help out in t he t ragedy and who want ed t o m ake a difference and part icipat e in Nat ional Dine Out For Am erica. Q: How m any people responded t o t he e- m ail? A: Tracking can be an unbelievably difficult exercise. I t was difficult t o t ruly know how m any recipient s act ually responded, but we do know t he following. Several hundred t housand people part icipat ed in Nat ional Dine Out For Am erica. Over 73,000 people opened t he e- m ail and received m ore cont ent and det ails. Approxim at ely 25,000 people accessed t he rest aurant locat or t o check for a rest aurant closest t o t hem . Q: Were t here any respondent s who said t hey could not read t he HTML em ail? A: We had user- specified viewing preferences so regardless of form at , our cust om ers were able t o view it . Q: Do you feel you were successful in your cam paign effort s? A: Absolut ely. Dine Out For Am erica was on a Thursday night ( not a part icularly busy night ) and t he rest aurant s were m uch m ore crowded t han usual. Many were swam ped! We raised over $1.5 m illion, m ore t han half a m illion m ore t han we expect ed. We feel we were able t o com m unicat e an im port ant m essage t o people, give t hem a way t o help wit hout being in New York, Washingt on, or Pennsylvania, and t he rest aurant t eam s really delivered a special experience for our cust om ers. I t hink it helped all of us feel like we were really doing som et hing t o help and we m ay have even at t ract ed som e new cust om ers in t he process. Q: Are you planning any fut ure e- m ail cam paigns? A: Yes, we are, but in very different ways. We will generat e new cam paigns t o prom ot e benefit s for our cust om ers and nat ional prom ot ions. However, we will not use t he viral st rat egy unless it 's a unique circum st ance, as in t he case of 9/ 11. We are very respect ful of e- m ail and expect t o use it very j udiciously. I n general our t wo core business, Red Lobst er and Olive Garden, use focused e- m ail a bit m ore frequent ly. Red Lobst er current ly uses e- m ail once a m ont h for nat ional prom ot ions and Olive Garden dist ribut es t hree m ont hly elect ronic newslet t ers ( focusing on rest aurant news and event s, wine, and recipes) . Q: Are t here any issues or challenges when using e- m ail t hat you would like t o discuss? A: When you use e- m ail keep it sim ple. You should avoid burdening cust om ers wit h t oo m any com m unicat ions ( no spam m ing) . We t ry t o m ake

all of our com m unicat ion valuable and act ionable. We also t ry t o have som e kind of m easurem ent of t he response ( when we use e- m ail cam paigns we not ice t hat t he t raffic on our Web sit e increases) . Last ly, you m ust provide your e- m ail recipient s wit h a m eans t o t alk back and give t heir suggest ions, grievances, et c. Darden has an ent ire depart m ent dedicat ed t o receiving and responding t o feedback from our guest s. Q: What are som e t rends wit h e- m ail t hat you have not iced? A: There are several t rends upon which you m ay want t o focus when planning an I nt ernet or e- m ail com m unicat ions st rat egy: Se a r ch e n gin e focu s: I t is crit ical your Web sit e be search engine friendly. Pe r for m a n ce focu s: Make sure t hat what your doing is reput able and com plim ent ary t o your brand. Qu a lit y n ot qu a n t it y focu s: The qualit y of t he com m unicat ion is what enhances cust om er loyalt y, not t he quant it y. Make it good and achievable t he first t im e. Loya lt y focu s: I nvit e your loyal users t o find out m ore inform at ion and m ake yourself easily available t o assist and respond t o t hem . Pr iva cy focu s: When dealing wit h individuals, e- m ail addresses and com pany inform at ion, t here's a cert ain am ount of cont rol t hat is required. At t im es it is necessary t o apply user nam es and passwords. Be prot ect ive, diligent , respect ful and very appreciat ive t o t hese very special cust om ers. [* ]

Walsh offers special t hanks t o t he Darden Team :

Red Lobst er—Jim DeSim one and Joe Chabus Olive Garden—St eve Coe and& Mara Fayerm an Darden Corporat ion—Joe Kefauver, Shannon McAleavey, Mike Bernst ein, Warren Lom bardy, and Pat t y DeYoung

MEDIA INTERVIEW: Joe Rosenbloom of Inc. Joe Rosenbloom is a senior edit or for I nc. m agazine, wit h 30 years of experience as a j ournalist . Over t he years, Rosenbloom has wit nessed t he birt h of e- m ail and t he benefit s it brings t o j ournalist s. I n our int erview wit h Rosenbloom , t he age- old issue of how PR people com m unicat e im properly wit h j ournalist s ( regardless of pre- or post - I nt ernet ) surfaced wit hin t he first t hree m inut es of t he conversat ion. Just because e- m ail is used as a quick m eans t o deliver inform at ion, t hat doesn't always m ean t hat t he inform at ion forwarded is accurat e or t arget ed t o m eet t he j ournalist s' audiences. " Even wit h e- m ail, PR people don't m ake t heir pit ches specific t o

I nc. I n m ost cases, it appears t hat t hey don't have enough inform at ion about I nc.'s st ories. And, som et im es t hey do underst and, but don't know how t o com m unicat e t heir knowledge t o int erest an edit or," says Rosenbloom . Rosenbloom furt her explained how a PR person can obt ain t he at t ent ion of a j ournalist ( posit ive and negat ive) wit h t he following exam ples: Use a subj ect line t hat grabs t he m edia's at t ent ion. You could put t he st ory idea right in t he subj ect line ( alt hough t his, t oo, is becom ing com m on pract ice) . One way t o at t ract at t ent ion is t o pit ch a seasonal st ory. For inst ance, when t ax season is four m ont hs away, t he PR person t hat provides a st ory idea about t ax season right up front in t he subj ect line is likely t o get not iced. That 's when PR people begin t hinking like t he edit ors at t he m agazine. No longer should PR people use t he words " news release" in t he subj ect line. I t 's overused in general, and, specifically for I nc., it 's not relevant , as t he m agazine does not cover breaking news. Be available and knowledgeable on t he subj ect m at t er should a j ournalist decide t o call for m ore inform at ion. Don't call t he j ournalist t o follow up on e- m ail. I t 's a bad habit and t he j ournalist is less likely t o use t hat PR person's inform at ion. I f t he j ournalist does m ake t he follow- up call, it 's im perat ive t hat t he PR person knows t he subj ect m at t er and is able t o answer a few quest ions. I t 's t hrough t his conversat ion t hat t he j ournalist decides if he or she want s t o cont inue wit h t he st ory based on t he PR person's answers. Rem em ber, an em ail only get s t he at t ent ion; t he act ual hum an int eract ion m oves t he st ory along. One of Rosenbloom 's biggest pet peeves is t he person who does not have enough underst anding of t he com pany he or she is pit ching. Use e- m ails t o accom m odat e an inform at ional request and provide an inst ant aneous response. However, as m ent ioned previously, e- m ails do not replace t he hum an int eract ion wit h a com pet ent PR professional. Food for t hought : Journalist s can even det ect a lack of confidence or lack of professionalism in an e- m ail correspondence. Be careful wit h e- m ail and privacy issues. Som e j ournalist s are not in favor of being list ed wit h 50 ot her e- m ail addresses on an e- m ail list . However, t his t ype of e- m ail is becom ing m ore com m on pract ice, alm ost " a part of life." I t could be const rued as t he sam e principle as seeing t he nam es of edit ors on a m ast head of a publicat ion ( it 's public knowledge) . However, when an edit or's e- m ail address appears on a long list , t he recipient aut om at ically knows t hat he or she is one of m any covering a st ory, and, t herefore, m ight not pursue t he st ory as if it were an exclusive. Rosenbloom ended t he int erview wit h an int erest ing st ory. When asked about t he relat ionships and int eract ions wit h PR professionals, one unique inst ance cam e t o m ind. Harvard Business School had cont act ed I nc. t o writ e a st ory t hat discussed t he undert akings of am bit ious ent repreneurship. Rosenbloom point ed out t hat t he PR execut ive at Harvard Business School was ext rem ely knowledgeable, approached t he m agazine wit h credible and relevant inform at ion, and knew how t o

com m unicat e wit h a j ournalist properly. One fact or t hat m ade t his person st and out in Rosenbloom 's m ind was t hat he never sent one single e- m ail correspondence. Therefore, e- m ail is definit ely a m eans t o enhance a relat ionship wit h it s t rue genius ( speed) , but e- m ail is cert ainly not t he basis for a relat ionship even in t he 21st Cent ury.

MEDIA INTERVIEW: Scott Jaschik of The Chronicle of Higher Education The Chronicle of Higher Educat ion is a privat ely owned newsweekly serving a paid subscript ion base of m ore t han 90,000 college professors and adm inist rat ors. I t is an I nt ernet pioneer t hat has won awards for it s own Web sit e, while carefully chronicling in print and online how t he t echnology has changed how colleges do business. Edit or Scot t Jaschik, a 17- year Chronicle vet eran, says t he st eady st ream of news releases from t he m ore t han 3,000 colleges in t he Unit ed St at es now flows prim arily t hrough e- m ail. He and ot her edit ors st ruggle t o keep up wit h t he m essages because t hey're always on t he lookout for t im ely st ories t o report on The Chronicle's Web sit e at chronicle.com in it s daily em ail news service. " I read t he t ops of t hem ," Jaschik says. " I f it 's not a good lead, I 'm hit t ing Delet e." Jaschik says his j ob would be easier if PR represent at ives act ually m ent ioned t he news in t he subj ect line of t he e- m ail. Som et hing like " $100M gift t o U. of X" is m uch bet t er t han a subj ect line of " U. of X," he not es. " That would cert ainly affect t he speed wit h which I read it ." Like m any j ournalist s, Jaschik prefers t o get releases t hrough e- m ail so he can see t hem whet her he's in t he office or on t he road. He can also quickly forward t hem t o writ ers who m ight be dist ant from t he newspaper's Washingt on, DC, headquart ers. He is surprised, t hough, by how m any faxes and how m uch snail m ail st ill flow int o his office—cont aining precisely t he sam e releases t hat he has already seen in e- m ail. " Som ewhere out t here in PR land, t here's a m yt h t hat t he m ore ways you send it t he bet t er," he says. Jaschik has praise for t he AScribe Newswire, an I nt ernet - based group t hat circulat es t he press releases of t he nonprofit organizat ions t hat com prise it s m em bership. However, he not es t hat m any universit ies t hat use AScribe also send t he sam e releases out direct ly t o The Chronicle, duplicat ing t he num ber of incom ing e- m ails for report ers. The bot t om line, he not es, is t he sam e as it was before t he age of t he I nt ernet . Report ers are going t o pay m ore at t ent ion t o pit ches t hat are cust om ized t o t he int erest s of t heir publicat ion. A PR person who t akes t he t im e in an e- m ail t o suggest how t he accom panying news m ight be used in a part icular sect ion or feat ure of t he newspaper is going t o get m ore at t ent ion t han anot her pit ch- m aker who dem onst rat es no fam iliarit y wit h

t he publicat ion, Jaschik says. The people who m ake t hat kind of effort , he says, are " a m inorit y." [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 8. E-Newsletters Build Relationships Opt - in newslet t ers help creat e relat ionships wit h j ournalist s. E- m ail alert s can be easy t o set up and operat e. HTML newslet t ers let you offer richer cont ent , but require m ore work. We t alked in t he last chapt er about how e- m ail was m isused in t he I nt ernet 's early days by m any PR people who saw it as a cheap way t o reach hundreds, som et im es t housands, of report ers wit h a single m essage. Experience has t aught us all t hat t he I nt ernet is not a broadcast m edium . Those who fill inboxes wit h unsolicit ed, unt arget ed pit ches are derided as spam m ers and im peril t he reput at ions of t hem selves and t heir client s. E- m ail is inst ead a great t ool for relat ionship building wit h sm all groups of j ournalist s who can be reached quickly wit h news relat ed t o t heir part icular int erest s. Get t ing t he news out quickly wit h an inform at ive subj ect line is ext rem ely im port ant when it com es t o breaking news, as we discussed in Chapt er 7. I n t his chapt er, we t alk about t he growing popularit y of periodic newslet t ers t hat PR people can dist ribut e t o keep report ers in t ouch wit h t heir client s regardless of whet her t here's big breaking news t o report . Our experience has been t hat t he phrase " elect ronic newslet t er" is frequent ly used t o describe t wo very different kinds of PR product s t hat have accom panied t he growt h of t he I nt ernet . The m ore com m on form at is what we refer t o as " e- m ail alert s," which offer im m ediat e not ificat ion of news releases t o report ers who have regist ered for t he service. The alert s save report ers from having t o search PR Newswire or Business Wire for t he lat est releases of com panies on t heir beat s. Anot her benefit is t hat m any com panies offer t he alert s in select ed cat egories, so t hat report ers can subscribe t o only t he ones t hat relat e t o t heir part icular beat s, such as financial dat a, or t o part icular product segm ent s like hom e com put ing or ent erprise com put ing. The second t ype of newslet t er is a bit m ore sophist icat ed and, t herefore, m ore rare. I t s goal is not t o win coverage of t he lat est announcem ent , but t o keep report ers inform ed of t he com pany's product offerings and m arket posit ion and t o build t he reput at ions of it s execut ives as indust ry expert s. Som e of t he bet t er ones we've seen resem ble in m any ways t he t ypes of newslet t ers t hat large com panies have circulat ed t o em ployees for decades. They t ry t o explain recent news event s in t he cont ext of t he com pany's overall m ission. Because an ext ernal newslet t er for report ers doesn't need t o provide updat es on how t o file HMO claim s, for exam ple, t here is plent y of screen space left for feat ures like " upcom ing event s," which can advise report ers of scheduled earnings announcem ent s, execut ives' speeches, or t rade show appearances. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

E-Mail Alerts E- m ail alert s are t he m ost com m on t ype of opt - in newslet t er for public relat ions because t hey are relat ively easy t o set up and adm inist er. A com pany can announce t he launch of an alert service at t he bot t om of every press release it issues and direct report ers t o a sign- up page on t he Web. The sign- up process can be aut om at ed t o collect e- m ail addresses and t o ask t he j ournalist which cat egories of releases he or she would like t o receive. I n som e cases, t he report er is asked t o choose a password t hat can be used t o ret urn t o t he sign- up page t o change his or her cat egory preferences or t o unsubscribe t o t he alert service. Am ong t he com panies t hat offer e- m ail alert s is Proct er & Gam ble, which had a link in it s online pressroom labeled " Press Release Signup" when we last checked. Report ers who click t he link and t hen t ype in t heir nam e and e- m ail address on t he Web page are signed up for P&G News, which provides im m ediat e e- m ailed copies of all P&G press releases when t hey are added t o t he com pany's Web sit e. Report ers can ret urn t o t he sam e Web page t o unsubscribe t o P&G News. Anot her alert sender is com put er chip m aker I nt el, which feat ures it s I nt el Newswire service prom inent ly in t he com pany's online pressroom . A report er provides an em ail address and picks a password and t hen select s from a list of about t hree dozen t opics t hat includes everyt hing from General Corporat e News t o Mobile Com put ing. The select ion of releases can be lim it ed furt her by list ing one or m ore keywords t hat m ust be included in a release for it t o be sent t o t he report er. Finally, t he report er is asked t o t ell I nt el how frequent ly he or she would like t o receive t he e- m ailed releases. They can be sent im m ediat ely when t hey are post ed t o I nt el's online pressroom or all appropriat e releases can be bundled and sent on a daily or weekly basis. The differences in frequency enable report ers who do not cover breaking news t o avoid being inundat ed wit h I nt el releases. A daily or weekly package m ight indeed be preferable for a report er at a weekly or m ont hly publicat ion who isn't writ ing about every announcem ent , but j ust want s t o keep in t ouch wit h what is happening at a m arket leader such as I nt el. Ken St at ham of I nt el's press relat ions office says t he Newswire is aut om at ed, so it does not place any ext ra burdens on t he PR st aff. Each release j ust needs t o be t agged for dist ribut ion t o t he appropriat e cat egory or cat egories. The aut om at ed nat ure of it m eans t hat it hasn't been difficult t o serve large num bers of recipient s. " We have t housands of subscribers and expect t o event ually have t ens of t housands," says St at ham . " However, boost ing t he num ber of subscribers is not our obj ect ive. Our goal is t o provide convenience for our press/ analyst cust om ers." Things are a lit t le less sim ple at Cornell Universit y, where Bill St eele m anages elect ronic product s for t he universit y's news service. Cornell provides st udent s and em ployees wit h access t o List serv soft ware, which can be used t o adm inist er m ailing list s. However, t he act ual t ask of creat ing t he list s for Cornell's news service and uploading press releases falls t o St eele, a science writ er and self- t aught program m er. St eele has creat ed 16 list s over t he last six years t hat provide recipient s wit h releases relat ed t o part icular academ ic fields, such as social sciences, t he art s, or law. St eele has writ t en a script t hat enables him t o t ag each release as it is post ed on t he Web and have it aut om at ically sent out as an e- m ail t o subscribers of a part icular list . He's also writ t en a script for m anaging ret urned e- m ail and he

j okes t hat whoever replaces him will have a t ough t im e figuring out his syst em . ( For m ore on how St eele m anages Cornell's newslet t ers, see our int erview wit h him on page 116 in t his chapt er.) [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Information-Rich Newsletters Most people in public relat ions are probably well aware t hat e- newslet t ers can be m uch m ore powerful and useful t han j ust aut om at ed alert s. Many of us subscribe t o newslet t ers creat ed by j ournalism organizat ions ranging from The Wall St reet Journal t o I nt ernet .com t hat help us st ay on t op of breaking news st ories. Our point here is t hat PR people can creat e e- newslet t ers on t heir own t hat are j ust as at t ract ive as t he j ournalism - orient ed newslet t ers and t hat can be helpful in get t ing m ore at t ent ion for our client s. E- m ail alert s are nice t o m ake sure your big release is well read, but why not use t he power of HTML newslet t ers t o provide report ers m ont hly or quart erly insight s int o how your client views it s m arket s and what it s t op execut ives have t o say about indust ry announcem ent s and event s? Exam ples of PR- produced e- newslet t ers are st ill rare, but t hey provide us wit h som e insight s int o what is needed for success. Because report ers already feel inundat ed wit h e- m ail, t hey're not likely t o be int erest ed in receiving e- m ail newslet t ers unless t hey are persuaded t hat t he offering am ount s t o m ore t han regurgit at ed press releases. What t hey want from t he newslet t er is som e analysis of indust ry event s t hat will help t hem do t heir j obs bet t er. " We need t o get report ers t o read what we send t hem because t hey know it 's good st uff," says Elizabet h Albrycht , a part ner in Albrycht McClure & Part ners, a PR firm t hat 's a proponent of e- newslet t ers. These dem ands for t ruly useful inform at ion m ean t hat e- newslet t ers are not a t ask for t he weak of heart in public relat ions. Som eone needs t o be developing cont ent on a regular basis and going t hrough t he effort of signing up report ers and m anaging an opt - in list . We also t hink it 's fine t o supplem ent t he m ain feat ures wit h t he kinds of t hings we've recom m ended for your online pressroom s: a list of recent press m ent ions, a digest of recent releases, and a calendar of upcom ing event s and t rade shows. These newslet t er feat ures can sim ply be links t o t he appropriat e pages in your online pressroom , but t heir presence in t he newslet t er m akes recipient s aware of where your com pany has been feat ured and what it is planning in t he way of fut ure event s. Given a newslet t er's dem and for original, analyt ical copy, it 's not surprising t hat som e of t he bet t er e- newslet t ers we've seen have com e from consult ing firm s. Because t he newslet t er can be a st rong t ool for est ablishing yourself as an indust ry expert , it 's also not surprising t hat som e of t he earliest e- newslet t ers have popped up in em erging indust ries wit h no recognized expert s. One indust ry, in part icular, in which newslet t ers have proliferat ed is in m obile com put ing, a sect or t hat aim s t o bring business applicat ions and I nt ernet connect ions t o cell phones, personal digit al assist ant s ( PDAs) , and ot her devices. Several t rade publishers have newslet t ers in t his field. Makers of cell phones and PDAs have also j um ped int o t he fray wit h newslet t ers for t heir cust om ers and t rade press. Web sit es creat ed t o sell wireless devices have offered newslet t ers as a way of building relat ionships wit h prospect ive cust om ers. One ent rant t hat im pressed us and won praise from m any report ers is M- I nsight s from Mobilocit y, a consult ing firm launched in 1999 wit h t he m ission of helping com panies plan t heir use of wireless dat a devices. The firm was absorbed int o Qualcom m 's Wireless Knowledge unit in 2002 and t he newslet t er was discont inued.

I t had been developed by Miller Shandwick in conj unct ion wit h t he analyst s at Mobilocit y, and em ployed a " j ust t he fact s" approach t hat feat ured quick, pit hy com m ent ary on recent indust ry event s. The form at feat ured a brief synopsis of a recent announcem ent and t hen an " Our Take" segm ent in which Mobilocit y t old readers what it t hought of t he announcem ent . I n one exam ple, t he M- I nsight s newslet t er dat ed August 30, 2001 report ed on an init iat ive by Palm I nc., m aker of t he Palm Pilot , t o help develop applicat ions for real est at e professionals. I n it s com m ent ary, Mobilocit y point ed out t he broader st ory t o report ers by assert ing t hat m obile devices like Palm Pilot s and ot her PDAs offer m any m obile professionals in real est at e, healt h care, and ot her fields t heir first real opport unit y t o benefit from inform at ion t echnology because t hey were never well served by PC applicat ions int ended t o be used in an office. Anot her feat ure in t he M- I nsight s newslet t er was called M- Spot light , and it enabled Mobilocit y t o port ray it self as a voice of aut horit y. The feat ure was frequent ly used t o list principles t hat should be followed in developing m - com m erce applicat ions and t o highlight successful effort s of Mobilocit y's client s. As part of t he M- I nsight s newslet t er, t hese report s were easier t o read t han t he t ypical case st udy press release and t hey helped t o port ray t he com panies involved as m - com m erce pioneers. Anne Coyle of Weber Shandwick, who helped t o launch M- I nsight s while at Miller Shandwick, says t he newslet t er's approach was a successful one. " M- I nsight s helped us t o gain m ind- share in a crowded m arket place," she not es. " Our goal was t o get t hem t o rise above t he noise where t hey could show what t hey knew," she adds. The newslet t er " fit very m uch int o t he consult ing m odel of look at what 's going on, gat her fact s, and m ake an analysis." For all of it s success, however, M- I nsight s also point ed out som e pit falls t o be careful of when undert aking a newslet t er. Launched as a weekly, M- I nsight s becam e biweekly and lat er m ont hly prim arily because it becam e difficult t o keep it st ocked wit h high- qualit y cont ent . As t he consult ing business t ook off, t he consult ant s had less t im e for t he newslet t er, Coyle says. " No one really owned it ," she lam ent s. " You have t o have som eone who's going t o own it and really run wit h it ." ( For m ore on Coyle's experience wit h Mobilocit y, see our int erview wit h her on page 117 in t his chapt er.) Albrycht McClure & Part ners, a PR firm wit h m any st art up com panies as client s, believes t hat an e- newslet t er is a sm art t ool for reaching a num ber of const it uencies, including t he press, em ployees, pot ent ial invest ors, and prospect ive business part ners. Client s wit h lim it ed st aff can m ake a single effort t o develop a newslet t er t hat m eet s t he needs of t he various const it uencies, says Elizabet h Albrycht . The newslet t er can be built around a t em plat e t o keep product ion cost s down, she says, but t he client m ust be willing t o invest m indpower. " You want t o have som e st rong writ ers and t hinkers on t his," she says. Albrycht McClure & Part ners t hinks a newslet t er would be especially effect ive for com panies in em erging fields. Albrycht not es t hat her firm had success prom ot ing a sm all com pany called I nfiniCon Syst em s by t aking an unort hodox approach in press releases in which it offered 10 quest ions t hat net work adm inist rat ors should be asking t hem selves about net work archit ect ures. " I t was a real st ret ch doing what we were doing wit h releases," she says, not ing t hat an e- newslet t er would be a m uch m ore appropriat e vehicle for educat ing report ers and prospect ive cust om ers about a new t echnology.

Albrycht not es t hat a good e- newslet t er can bring m ore people t o a client 's Web sit e and expose t hem t o t he online pressroom and ot her offerings. However, she not es t hat t his feat ure cut s bot h ways in t hat t he newslet t er m ust be carefully coordinat ed wit h t he Web sit e so t hat newslet t er recipient s act ually find what t hey are seeking on t he Web sit e. This cooperat ion can be difficult if t he PR people are not responsible for Web sit e operat ions, she not es. " Doing t hese t ypes of t hings does require m ore rigor on t he part of t he client ," she says. ( For m ore on what Albrycht and part ner Jennifer McClure have t o say about e- newslet t ers, see our int erview wit h t hem on page 119 in t his chapt er.) One feat ure we haven't seen in e- newslet t ers, but believe could be useful and popular wit h j ournalist s, is a regular feat ure highlight ing t he opinions of your client 's t op execut ives. We t hink a quot able CEO who is willing t o speak candidly about t he com pany's lat est news or about t he lat est act ivit ies of it s com pet it ors could really shine in a newslet t er colum n. He or she m ight t alk about current t opics; for exam ple, how t he com pany responded t o t he event s of Sept em ber 11 or how it is helping t o revit alize an inner- cit y school. The right CEO m ight even offer his or her review of t he lat est m anagem ent t om e t opping t he best seller chart s. The idea is t o m ake t he newslet t er's recipient s feel t hey are get t ing a look at " t he real CEO" beyond t he boilerplat e quot es t hat appear in press releases. He or she does not need t o be out rageous t o at t ract m edia int erest . Rem em ber, each newslet t er is not supposed t o spawn a cert ain num ber of st ories, but rat her it is int ended t o ext end t he com pany's relat ionship wit h t he j ournalist and possibly lead t o m ore references t o your CEO as a voice of aut horit y, vet eran m anager, renaissance figure, philant hropist , and so on. Be careful, however. A boring CEO wit h not hing t o say could t orpedo t he whole newslet t er if he or she cont ribut es lam e colum ns t hat focus on how t his quart er's EBI TDA com pares t o t hat of t he sam e quart er last year.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Dos and Don'ts We cannot overem phasize t he im port ance of get t ing t he j ournalist s t o opt in for your newslet t er, a process t hat will undoubt edly reduce t he num ber of recipient s below what you t hink it should be. Rem em ber, however, sending som et hing t o people who do not want t o read it is not going t o give t hem a good im pression of you, your agency, or your client . You should t hink of t he opt - in requirem ent as a handshake wit h t he report er in which you are agreeing t o have a relat ionship and you are consent ing t o deliver newslet t ers cont aining useful inform at ion. You should m ake new subscribers confirm t heir int erest in your newslet t er by going t o a Web page and checking a box or by replying t o your init ial m ailing. Wit hout t his confirm at ion st ep, you could have people unknowingly signed up for your newslet t er by friends or enem ies. You m ust also m ake it easy for t he report er t o unsubscribe from your newslet t er by eit her responding t o your e- m ail wit h an unsubscribe request or by including a URL where t he recipient can go t o unsubscribe. More st andards for adm inist ering newslet t ers can be found at m ail- abuse.org, and sim ilar sit es adm inist ered by ant ispam groups. These groups should be t aken seriously because t hey are generally support ed by I nt ernet service providers ( I SPs) who could opt t o block all e- m ail from your com pany if t hey feel your com pany is operat ing a newslet t er wit hout adequat e cont rols. One of us knows from personal experience as a form er edit or of a daily newslet t er for I nt ernet World m agazine of t he im port ance of keeping t he spam police happy wit h your organizat ion. I n one case, an opt - in subscriber who had difficult y reaching t he URL t hat I nt ernet World provided for unsubscribe request s filed a com plaint wit h t he spam police. I t t urned out t hat t he e- m ail dist ribut ion com pany responsible for t he unsubscribe Web page had m oved it t o a different server and neglect ed t o change t he URL list ed in I nt ernet World's newslet t er. The problem was quickly rem edied, but not before t he police organizat ion had gone t o t he I SP t hat housed I nt ernet World's Web sit e and urged it t o dum p I nt ernet World as a cust om er. A flurry of phone calls was needed t o keep t he Web sit e online and t o explain t he sit uat ion t o t he spam police. I n anot her incident , I nt ernet World's e- m ail dist ribut ion com pany int roduced a st ray charact er in t he m essage I D when it was sending out t he newslet t er. An undet erm ined num ber of I SPs began rej ect ing t he newslet t er because of t he anom aly. This t ype of problem is part icularly dangerous t o t he newslet t er publisher because no one calls t o warn you. I nst ead, t he num ber of bouncebacks rose unexpect edly and t he dist ribut or st art ed an invest igat ion t hat seem ed t o go nowhere unt il a loyal newslet t er reader invest igat ed t he absence of t he newslet t er wit h her I SP and was t old t hat it was being blocked as possible spam . Our point is t o t read carefully. I f you're going t o put a lot of t im e and effort int o creat ing a first - class newslet t er, m ake sure you're following est ablished pract ices for dist ribut ing it . You want t he newslet t er t o bring you accolades, not accusat ions. I n our next chapt er, we discuss t he appropriat e uses of Webcast s and ot her t echnologies t hat you m ight be considering for reaching out t o t he press and t o consum ers.

PR INTERVIEW: Bill Steele of Cornell News Service Bill St eele doesn't rem em ber Cornell's m ove t o e- m ail alert s as a bold st ep forward for public relat ions at t he I vy League universit y. I nst ead, he says, he was asked t o m ake a paper- based digest of press releases available online because t he universit y t hought it m ight save som e m oney on post age. St eele says he put t oget her a Web page for signing up for t he " Science Tips" digest and he est ablished a m ailing list using t he List serv soft ware t hat Cornell runs on it s com put ers for t he benefit of any st udent or em ployee who wishes t o adm inist er an e- m ail–based discussion group. Six years lat er, St eele adm inist ers 16 different list s offering recipient s press releases t ailored t o t heir int erest s in areas such as life sciences, t he art s, law, and vet erinary m edicine. " There's a couple t housand subscribed t o som et hing," says St eele, not ing t hat t he list s have at t ract ed not only j ournalist s, but also Cornell st udent s, alum ni, and ot her people wit h an int erest in academ ic research. St eele creat ed a syst em of cat egories for sort ing st ories ont o t he Cornell News Service Web pages and t hose cat egories correspond t o t he various em ail newslet t er list s. He wrot e a script t hat t akes each st ory t hat is post ed t o t he Web pages and aut om at ically sends it out as an e- m ail t o t hose people who have signed up for t he corresponding e- m ail list . The process is not com plet ely aut om at ed, St eele says, not ing t hat it st ill requires a hum an t o put each press release int o t he appropriat e subj ect cat egories. Because one of t he list s is a digest of press releases t hat carries only t he first t wo paragraphs of each release, a sharp eye is needed t o ensure t hat t he reader has been given t he gist of t he st ory in t he t wo opening paragraphs. The List serv soft ware t akes a lot of work out of t he dist ribut ion process, but St eele not es t hat he st ill has t o deal wit h a handful of undeliverable m essages every t im e a m ailing goes out . He has writ t en a script t hat act ually keeps t rack of delivery problem s and delet es recipient s from list s aft er t hree consecut ive delivery errors. St eele says he believes t he press release list s serve t he needs of t he report ers using Cornell News Service and so he's not rushing int o HTML newslet t ers or anyt hing m ore sophist icat ed or bandwidt h int ensive. " I wouldn't want t o do t hat because t here are st ill an awful lot of people downloading t his over t he phone," he says. " I don't want t o use all of t he bells and whist les all t he t im e."

PR INTERVIEW: Anne Coyle of

Weber Shandwick Anne Coyle says t he e- m ail newslet t er represent ed t he best t ool for m aking m ore people aware of Mobilocit y, a consult ing firm t hat launched in 1999 wit h t he m ission of helping cust om ers develop plans for m obile com put ing. Each week a new M- I nsight s newslet t er offered t he four founders of Mobilocit y a chance t o show off t heir expert ise by analyzing t he lat est announcem ent s in t he field and t heir ant icipat ed im pact on t he developm ent of applicat ions for PDAs, cell phones, and ot her wireless devices. " I t fit very m uch int o t he consult ing m odel of look at what 's going on, gat her fact s, and m ake an analysis," she says. Coyle says M- I nsight s also worked because Mobilocit y was a hard- charging st art up wit h people eager t o put in t he ext ra work needed for t he newslet t er. Many of t he early em ployees were fresh from college and were used t o m eet ing deadlines and working on proj ect s collaborat ively. The founders underst ood t hat t he newslet t er was a way t o get not iced and t o influence t he way j ournalist s were t hinking about an em erging field t hat was full of m ore hype t han fact s. " Our goal was t o get t hem t o rise above t he noise," she says. " They could show what t hey knew." Coyle says t he success of M- I nsight s, or any ot her newslet t er, is difficult t o m easure because you're not serving up a st ory t hat produces a specific num ber of press m ent ions. " I t 's t ough t o m easure, but you know when it 's working well," she says. The biggest t ipoff, she says, is t hat t he newslet t er st art s generat ing quest ions and com m ent s from report ers and ot her recipient s. " Som et im es t hey didn't agree wit h our t ake," Coyle rem em bers. " But at t hat point we were happy t o have t he response." She not es t hat Mobilocit y was always careful t o avoid m aking M- I nsight s look like a sales vehicle of any kind. The goal, she explains, was t o get recipient s t o t hink, " This is research com ing out of a com pany—not anyt hing t oo slick or com m ercialized." The collaborat ive aut horship of M- I nsight s, which helped infuse it wit h ent husiasm in it s early weeks, lat er becam e som et hing of a problem , Coyle says, because no one person was in charge of t he newslet t er. As Mobilocit y t ook on m ore client s, analyst s on t he st aff were t oo busy t o cont ribut e as m uch for t he newslet t er, which st art ed com ing out less frequent ly, first on a biweekly basis and t hen on a m ont hly basis. " You have t o have som eone who's going t o own it and really run wit h it ," she says. The newslet t er died aft er Mobilocit y becam e part of Qualcom m 's Wireless Knowledge unit in 2002. M- I nsight s was never aest het ically flashy, Coyle says, not ing t hat it was available in plain t ext and in a version wit h font s t hat worked best wit h Palm Pilot s and ot her devices. Recipient s are less concerned wit h how som et hing looks t han t hey are wit h t he qualit y of t he inform at ion it cont ains, and M- I nsight s effect ively m et t he needs of a relat ively sm all group of j ournalist s and t echnologist s who were all t rying t o figure out how m obile com put ing would be used in t he business world. " You really want t o hit t he right people," says Coyle. " That 's where PR works at it s best ." Coyle counsels ot hers who m ay be planning newslet t ers t o abide by opt - in

pract ices, rat her t han j ust sending t he bulky e- m ail t o everyone on your press list . Many people who get newslet t ers t o which t hey haven't subscribed are going t o hold it against t he sender, which could negat ively affect t heir coverage of your client , she says. When people sign up for t he newslet t er, you should t ell t hem how t heir nam es and e- m ail addresses will be used and you should const ant ly rem ind t hem of how t hey can unsubscribe, she says. One downside of publishing an elect ronic newslet t er, Coyle not es, is t hat your product is easily excerpt ed and reproduced and som et im es held up for ridicule on m essage boards. Your client , who is helping t o writ e t he newslet t er, needs t o be t hick- skinned enough t o t olerat e a cert ain am ount of vit riol from st rongly opinionat ed I nt ernet users. " You've lost cont rol once you've hit Send," says Coyle.

PR INTERVIEW: Elizabeth Albrycht and Jennifer McClure of Albrycht McClure & Partners Albrycht McClure & Part ners is a virt ual public relat ions and m arket ing agency t hat believes enough in t he fut ure of elect ronic newslet t ers t hat it offers a quart erly newslet t er as one of it s four core service offerings. The firm , which is headed j oint ly by Elizabet h Albrycht in nort hern Virginia and Jennifer McClure in nort hern California, says it will help client s develop, edit , and publish newslet t ers four t im es a year for a fee of $5,000. That 's t he sam e fee as t he firm charges for producing a press kit and slight ly less t han t he $6,000 it charges t o handle t rade show briefings and m at erials. I t s m ost expensive package st art s at $10,000 for everyt hing t hat goes int o a product announcem ent . Bot h part ners adm it , however, t hat t hey haven't exact ly been flooded wit h request s for e- newslet t ers. " I t 's som et hing new t o t hink about , cert ainly from a t radit ional PR perspect ive," says Albrycht . However, t hey're opt im ist ic t hat t he newslet t er will fill an im port ant place bet ween t he press release and t he inform al e- m ail sent t o keep report ers up t o dat e. " This gives us a nice t ool t o t ake t o t he CEO whose react ion is usually " Do a press release,'" she says. " Usually, t hey're not happy wit h an e- m ail," she adds. " Execut ives like t his because it 's m ore form al." Report ers, m eanwhile, will like t he newslet t er if it 's useful, Albrycht says. This m eans it needs t o t alk about issues in a subst ant ive way, she says. " We need t o get report ers t o read what we send t hem because t hey know it 's good st uff," she says. Albrycht and McClure believe t he work t hey've done for a t echnology com pany called I nfiniCon Syst em s would slide nicely int o an e- newslet t er. Their approach in a series of press releases has been t o ident ify and answer m aj or quest ions t hat net work adm inist rat ors ( and t rade press report ers) have about new net work archit ect ures. The t one has been " very vendor- neut ral," Albrycht says, and yet it has produced press inquiries,

bet a cust om ers for I nfiniCon's t echnology, and prospect ive em ployees and business part ners for t he com pany. " I t was a real st ret ch doing what we were doing wit h t hese releases," says Albrycht . " We really t hink t he enewslet t er is t he t ool of t he fut ure." Albrycht says she t hinks e- newslet t ers are part icularly at t ract ive t o st art up com panies, which are t rying t o serve m any const it uencies, including t he press, pot ent ial invest ors, and prospect ive cust om ers. Rat her t han having a sm all st aff st ret ched t hin t o work on different m at ierals for each const it uency, st aff m em bers can work collaborat ively on an e- newslet t er t hat m eet s t he needs of all t he const it uent groups. Newslet t ers, however, are not easy t o assem ble, Albrycht not es. " You want t o have som e st rong writ ers and t hinkers on t his," she says. " Every six weeks is probably t he m ost oft en t hat we'll do it ," she says, not ing t he need t o always have cont ent planned out well in advance for every issue. You also need t he cooperat ion of t he client in developing t he cont ent and in coordinat ing what 's in t he newslet t er wit h what 's on t he client 's Web sit e, Albrycht says. I n m ost cases, you want t he newslet t er t o cont ain t he st art of a st ory before offering a link t o t he full st ory on t he client 's Web sit e, she says. You also want t he client t o be t racking t he act ivit ies of t he newslet t er readers when t hey arrive on t he sit e, she not es. This can be done by direct ing readers t o t he sit e t hrough a URL t hat is only publicized in t he newslet t er. " I t gives you a richer sense of what people are t hinking and what t hey're int erest ed in," she says. Albrycht says she has enough confidence in t he qualit y of her press and analyst list s t hat she'd feel com fort able sending an e- newslet t er t o t hose list s and providing recipient s wit h an opport unit y t o opt out of fut ure m ailings. Her part ner, Jennifer McClure, concurs in t his j udgm ent . " We should know t he right people," she says, not ing t hat t he m axim um num ber of recipient s would never be m ore t han " a couple hundred" because t he list s are so t arget ed. McClure says such t arget ed m ailings can be handled in- house, rat her t han shipped out t o e- m ail dist ribut ion com panies like DoubleClick or Cheet ahMail. Adding and delet ing addresses, changing addresses, and handling undelivered m ail is not a huge t ask, she says. " I t 's a couple hours of busy work t hat our adm in st aff can do." Quest ions and com m ent s from newslet t er readers should be rout ed t o a real person, rat her t han a general cat ch- all e- m ail address, McClure says, and people should get responses from a hum an in a t im ely fashion. Aft er all, she point s out , " t he key t o t he success of t hese newslet t ers is using t hem as a t ool t o build a relat ionship."

MEDIA INTERVIEW: Mike Cohn of Internet World Mike Cohn has been in t echnology publishing for alm ost 20 years, st art ing out at PC Magazine and serving st int s at Account ing Technology and Beyond Com put ing. By t he t im e he cam e t o Pent on Media's I nt ernet World in 2000, t he I nt ernet had dram at ically changed t he t ools of his t rade. Snail m ail was pret t y m uch useless. Faxes were being overt aken by e- m ail. What Cohn did not know was how im port ant e- newslet t ers were about t o becom e t o his j ob. A senior edit or who specializes in covering t he em erging field of m obile com put ing and m - com m erce, Cohn has found a num ber of e- newslet t ers invaluable in keeping up wit h what 's happening. The M- I nsight s newslet t er from consult ing firm Mobilocit y, which has already been discussed in t his chapt er, helped t o shape his view of indust ry event s and build his opinion of Mobilocit y's cofounder Om ar Javaid as an indust ry analyst . Ot her consult ant groups have also produced good newslet t ers, Cohn says, not ing Andrew Seybold's Out look 4Mobilit y, and newslet t er effort s from Zona Research and EMC. " A lot of t hem repeat t he sam e news," Cohn says, " but you hope t hey're able t o get int o insight s, com parisons, and cont ext . I t also helps when t hey have a sense of hum or." Cohn says individual com panies have also j um ped on t he newslet t er bandwagon. He says t he newslet t er from Handspring, which m akes t he Visor handheld device t hat com pet es wit h Palm Pilot s, is direct ed at Visor owners, but has helped him in underst anding Handspring's m arket st rat egies. One edit ion of t he newslet t er included a first - person account of how a wom an used a Visor t o t rack her cont ract ions and get herself t hrough labor and childbirt h. Cohn not es t hat Poet Soft ware, which m akes business- t o- business soft ware, has also produced newslet t ers about uses of Java- enabled devices. " I t hought t hat was a good way t o get t heir nam e out t here and provide som e value," he says. He not es t hat none of t he e- newslet t ers he's received has been graphically beaut iful and m any are done in sim ple t ext t o accom m odat e t he users of sm all devices who are int erest ed in t he subj ect m at t er but cannot display fancy HTML docum ent s. Newslet t ers, Cohn says, are m uch m ore valuable t han t he " canned st ories" offered in press releases. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 9. Webcasts Are Worth a Second Try Online m ult im edia present at ions—oft en called Webcast s—enable PR people t o cont rol t he m essage. Put t ing press conferences and ot her event s online m eshes well wit h widespread concerns about t ravel cost s and safet y. Would- be Webcast ers have m ore t echnology opt ions t han ever before. Now t hat we've covered t he basics of PR in t he I nt ernet age ( online newsroom s and e- m ail) and t he t ools t hat we hope will becom e m ore popular ( opt - in newslet t ers) , we t urn our at t ent ion t o a fast - growing t echnology t hat m any readers m ight have already t ried and dism issed. Yes, we're t alking about Webcast s, t hose problem plagued advent ures of 1999 t hat m ade video from t he space shut t le seem high qualit y—t hat is, if you were able t o overcom e firewall issues and net work bot t lenecks t o even log on. We suffered along wit h t he rest of you, squeezing our m ouses in anger as we t ried t o j oin an event at t he appoint ed t im e only t o find out our st ream ing player was out of dat e or t hat t he best we could achieve was a j erky im age of a speaker wit h m aj or audio hiccups. However, we're here t o encourage all of you t o get back on t he horse. The buzz about Webcast ing m ight have dissipat ed in recent years, but t he t echnology has im proved, cost s have com e down, and t he world has been changed so dram at ically by t he econom ic downt urn and t he t ragedies of Sept em ber 11, 2001 t hat Webcast ing m akes a huge am ount of sense for PR professionals. According t o Wainhouse Research's Decem ber 2001 User Survey, a t ool used t o proj ect st at ist ics 12 m ont hs out in t im e, Web conferencing and st ream ing will see t he great est growt h in t he services indust ry. Access t o broadband I nt ernet connect ions is increasing, which enables m ore cust om ers t o log on t o Webcast s wit h ease. I n addit ion, Webcast service providers are offering bet t er ways t o build t echnology for com panies t o suit specific needs. Research also t ells us t hat Webcast s are becom ing m ore popular and accept ed am ong I nt ernet users. Edison Media Research and Arbit ron report ed in August 2001 in a Webcast ing st udy t hat 50 percent m ore online users have t ried st ream ing m edia as com pared t o t he audioonly list eners in July 1999. Furt herm ore, according t o t he st udy, over one- t hird of all Am ericans age 12 and older are included in a newly nam ed cat egory called " St ream ies" encom passing approxim at ely 78 m illion people. Ask a handful of PR people about t heir Webcast experiences and at least a few will recall t he first Vict oria's Secret Webcast in February 1999, which becam e a vict im of it s own huge success. I t was so well prom ot ed t hat t oo m any people logged on at once t o check out t he m odels in t heir sexy lingerie. From t he st art of t he event , it t ook t he average person longer t han t wo- and- a- half m inut es t o download t he Web page as com pared t o t he norm al one- m inut e t im e fram e t o which Vict oria's Secret cust om ers had been accust om ed. A Web t racking com pany report ed t he num ber of

visit ors t o t he Vict oria's Secret 's sit e reached approxim at ely 1.5 m illion during t he fashion show, but for m any of t hose visit ors t he Webcast was a disappoint m ent . The t echnical difficult ies also t hreat ened t o overshadow t he lingerie in t he press coverage of t he Webcast . I ndeed, t he danger of public em barrassm ent is what seem s t o concern PR professionals t he m ost when weighing t he m erit s of Webcast ing. I t 's difficult enough for PR people t o deal wit h t he daily int eract ions of t heir brands wit h cust om ers, shareholders, analyst s, t he m edia, and all st akeholders of a com pany online and offline. Why t ake m ore chances deliberat ely wit h t he brand's reput at ion? I f you've ever planned an event , t hen surely you know it 's hairy enough wit h t he norm al planning, coordinat ing, and im plem ent ing of t he program . Should we add t em peram ent al t echnology t o t he list of pot ent ial issues? We say, " Yes." We believe you would be doing a disservice t o your brand if you didn't t ry t o com m unicat e t o audiences who can log on t o t he I nt ernet , who need t o hear from t he brand, and who would not int eract wit h t he brand ot herwise ( i.e., t hose who can't be physically present for an event t hat com m unicat es an im port ant m essage) . Perhaps t he best support for our opinion com es from Vict oria's Secret it self, which was st ill Webcast ing t he last t im e t hat we checked. I t s second event in May 2000 at t ract ed m ore t han 2 m illion viewers and proved easier t o access t hanks t o t echnical help t he com pany enlist ed from Akam ai, I BM, Microsoft , and Yahoo! . Our posit ive feelings about Webcast ing are also influenced by t he exam ples of Webcast s we've seen in recent m ont hs and by our conversat ions wit h providers of Webcast ing services. One big fan of t he t echnology is Larry Weber, chairm an and CEO of I nt erpublic's Advanced Market ing Services, which includes Weber Shandwick Worldwide, Golin/ Harris I nt ernat ional, and DeVries Public Relat ions. A Webcast ing pioneer, he t ried out t he t echnology wit h som e success as early as 1996 for client s such as 3Com and U.S. Robot ics when each product ion cost as m uch as $30,000. Cost s have com e down and I nt erpublic ram ped up t o m ore t han 300 Webcast s in 2001, Weber says, explaining t hat he sees t he t echnology as a key t o t he em ergence of what he calls " visual PR." Pubic relat ions professionals can use t his t echnology t o t ell t heir client s' st ories in visually appealing ways wit hout int erference from j ournalist s. " The PR depart m ent of t he fut ure is going t o have creat ive direct ors, and part ners in m ult im edia," he says. " I t 's going t o be a different kind of approach and it 's going t o be visually driven." We agree wit h Weber and see his vision st art ing t o becom e realit y as m ore PR agencies learn t o adopt creat ive approaches t o t he Web and also t ake t he t im e t o work closely wit h I T depart m ent s t o align PR and Web com m unicat ions. We believe t hat Weber's not ion of visual PR will add credibilit y t o a brand as visual present at ions are m ore dynam ic, audience reach is broader, and online viewers feel closer t o t he brand by viewing a Webcast delivered direct ly t o t heir PCs. I t 's t im e for PR folks t o pay m ore at t ent ion t o visual PR and t o becom e m ore aware, educat ed, com fort able, and well- spoken regarding t he use of Webcast s and t he st rat egies needed t o im plem ent t hem successfully. An im port ant st ep in t he learning process is t o det erm ine when it is necessary t o use a Webcast . The t echnology becam e hot years ago as part of t he hype t hat surrounded t he I nt ernet and t he accom panying belief in spending incredibly large am ount s of m oney t o m ove sim ple offline t radit ions like press conferences int o t he I nt ernet age. However, t hat pursuit overlooked t he power of canned Webcast s—brief video product ions t hat t ell your client 's st ory in a form at t hat can be ret rieved over and over again by num erous viewers at t im es t hat are m ost convenient for t hem . One of our favorit e exam ples of archiving a Webcast video product ion can be found

on JVC's Nat ional Associat ion of Broadcast ers ( NAB) Web sit e. The sit e was developed by Deirdre Breakenridge's agency t o allow JVC's audiences ( t he m edia and JVC's cust om ers) who could not at t end t he NAB t rade show t o be t horoughly involved and well inform ed t hrough t his Web sit e. I n conj unct ion wit h JVC's new St ream corder professional cam corder ( t he GY- DV300) , which has st ream ing capabilit ies t o t he Web, JVC was able t o capt ure it s ent ire boot h exhibit online, com plet e wit h dem os, execut ive speeches, and present at ions. When JVC visit ors logged ont o t he sit e t hey could preregist er if t hey were at t ending t he t rade show and print out a coupon for a free T- shirt , or sign up t o receive e- m ail alert s t o not ify t hem t hat t here was st ream ing video available t o enj oy. The creat ion of t he JVC NAB sit e was an excellent st rat egy t o keep JVC's audiences inform ed wit h t he sam e inform at ion t hey would have received if t hey were able t o t ravel t o Las Vegas for t he four- day event . The abilit y t o Webcast produced t he out com e of well- inform ed audiences and a com pany t hat sat isfied bot h t rade show at t endees and nonat t endees. Pat Meier, who runs her own PR agency in Mill Valley, California, is a form er broadcast j ournalist who believes st rongly in t he power of prerecorded Webcast s. " By Webcast ing, you act ually are your own m edium ," she says, not ing t he PR person's abilit y t o cont rol everyt hing from t he edit ing and backdrop for t he video t o t he m akeup and clot hing of t he execut ive chosen t o represent his or her client . The Webcast gives t he PR person m ore cont rol over t he m essage t he client seeks t o deliver t han would ever be possible t hrough an appearance on a local TV business show or even on CNBC, she not es. ( For m ore on Meier's use of Webcast s, see our int erview wit h her on page 141 in t his chapt er.) We cert ainly agree t hat canned Webcast s are wort h pursuing as a com ponent of t he online pressroom s we encouraged you t o develop in Chapt er 6. A num ber of m aj or universit ies, for exam ple, feat ure welcom e m essages from t heir president s on t heir Web sit es, enabling each inst it ut ion t o port ray it s president in t he m ost flat t ering light . Maj or com panies, such as Air Product & Chem icals, also feat ure video in t heir online pressroom s as we discussed in Chapt er 6 as a m eans of explaining exact ly what it is t hat t heir com panies do.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Live Events For m any people, however, t he t erm Webcast is used prim arily t o describe a live event t hat t hey are seeking t o m ake available t o a larger audience by t aking it ont o t he Web. I t can cert ainly be argued t hat int erest in such event s has risen since t he t ragedies of Sept em ber 11, 2001, as it 's becom e m ore difficult t o get invest ors, cust om ers, em ployees, and t he m edia t o t ravel t o large event s. The econom ic recession also works in favor of Webcast s because m any com panies have t ight ened up on t ravel expenses and slashed j obs—leaving t he rem aining workers wit h less t im e t o t ravel. PR people who invest igat e Webcast ing will find a large variet y of opt ions t hat go beyond t he full- fledged opt ion favored by Vict oria's Secret . PR professionals can bring t oget her corporat e officers, t he m edia, st ockholders, and ot her st akeholders in a com pany t hrough an array of form at s encom passing everyt hing from audio- only event s t o audio- enhanced slide shows, t o live video event s t hat allow one- way announcem ent s or t wo- way int eract ion over t he phone, via e- m ail, or in chat room s for lim it ed am ount s of t im e. Oft en t he Webcast s are st ored on t he com pany's Web sit e where t hey can be accessed on dem and for weeks and m ont hs t o com e by report ers and ot her int erest ed part ies. Different form at s work best for different needs. Many in t he invest or relat ions com m unit y say t hat audio- only Webcast s or audio- enhanced slide shows are generally sufficient for quart erly earnings report s when it is m ore im port ant t o see chart s and graphs on t he slides t han t o see a t alking head behind a podium . On t he ot her hand, a new product announcem ent m ight be handled best on a video Webcast in which you want t o display t he product and capt ure t he ent husiasm of t he com pany's product m anagers and execut ives. We asked Terri Walt ers, president and CEO of Moonfish Product ion, an event product ion m anagem ent firm in New Jersey, t o walk us t hrough t he st eps she follows in helping her client s det erm ine what t ypes of Webcast s are appropriat e for t hem . As an event producer, she sees Webcast s as a great enhancem ent t o provide t o her client s. Alt hough m uch im proved over recent years, Walt ers st ill sees Webcast s as being in t heir infancy wit h a huge am ount of pot ent ial as t hey im prove. Webcast s will evolve so t hat people in rural resident ial areas will have bet t er connect ions t o part icipat e and dial- up connect ions will no longer be an issue t hat rest rict s audience part icipat ion. PR people need t o be ready now t o deliver program s as cable m odem s and DSL bring m ore people int o t he broadband age. The first t hing t hat Walt ers likes t o t ell PR people is t hat Webcast s are not a cheap m eans t o an end. Luckily, t he $30,000 Webcast s experienced by Weber in 1996 are not always t he case t oday. I n 2002, cost s for a Webcast wit h an audio and video present at ion ranged bet ween $5,000 and $10,000. Walt ers advises m any professionals on whet her or not t hey need a Webcast . There are m any fact ors t hat det erm ine if a Webcast is necessary, including accessibilit y of t he audience, how best t o com m unicat e, budget , and so on. I f t he com pany has t he budget , t hen Walt ers offers t he following checklist of quest ions for assist ance in det erm ining t he right kind of event :

Who will log on t o t he I nt ernet t o view t he event ? What is t he proposed venue for t he Webcast ? I s t he venue a learning environm ent ? I s t he event a sim ple Webcast wit h no audience part icipat ion or is it an int eract ive online conference? Should t he Webcast be shot in t he office environm ent ? I s t he engineering locat ion of t he Webcast able t o support t he necessary bandwidt h requirem ent s? Are t here firewall issues t hat would hinder access t o t he Webcast ? I s t here a cam corder available t o handle t he direct video feed and audio feed? I n addit ion t o answering t hese quest ions, PR professionals need t o know how a com pany should t echnically prepare it self in ot her ways t o deliver a successful Webcast . The old saying " What you put int o it is what you get out of it " cert ainly applies here. Walt ers provided a few t hings t o rem em ber for PR professionals working wit h an event product ion firm : Light speakers properly. Under- or overlight ing will blur your im age. Check background colors and set t ings t o opt im ize readabilit y for t he viewing audience. Rest rain cam era m ovem ent t o provide a clearer im age. Use PowerPoint slides, along wit h t he video present at ion t o reinforce t he m essage. I ncorporat e live links and live chat s t o encourage audience part icipat ion. Use " lower t hirds" ( i.e., t he speaker's nam e) and t he com pany logo in t he Webcast t o " I D" t he ent ire event . Once all of t he general quest ions are answered and t he t echnical issues resolved, Walt ers finds t hat im plem ent ing t he event is t he easy—and fun—part . She not ed t hat if t he product ion com pany does it s j ob properly, it is t hat m uch easier for t he PR people, who have enough issues t o deal wit h when coordinat ing and im plem ent ing an event of t his nat ure. PR people who opt t o work wit hout a product ion com pany have a variet y of opt ions when it com es t o finding a com pany t o handle t he t echnical aspect s of delivering t he Webcast . We've found t hat several large com panies are invest ing in t he abilit y t o provide Webcast ing services. When Yahoo! announced t he launch of Webcast ing solut ions in Sept em ber 2001 and PR Newswire clim bed aboard in conj unct ion wit h Thom son Financial, new credibilit y was added t o t he pro side of t he Webcast ing argum ent . Yahoo! , a com pany very m uch in t une wit h t he needs of Web consum er and business audiences, now offers what t he com pany refers t o as " corporat e com m unicat ions solut ions." According t o Yahoo! t he com pany's announcem ent responds t o t he increasing dem and for business services t hat are alt ernat ives t o t radit ional com m unicat ions. Wit h it s Virt ual Conference and Execut ive

Com m unicat ions Cent er offerings, Yahoo! 's Broadcast (broadcast .yahoo.com ) unit provides new choices for conferences, t rade shows, and sales m eet ings. Yahoo! 's Virt ual Conference is designed t o offer int erest ed com panies t he abilit y t o have audio, video, and inform at ional slides incorporat ed in an online Webcast ing present at ion. Wit h Yahoo! 's Virt ual Conference Cent er, a com pany can select whet her an event is live or archived for on- dem and use. I n addit ion, docum ent sharing and t he abilit y t o have an online Q&A session incorporat ed int o t he Webcast event are ot her int eract ive opt ions. Audience t racking and surveys are also a necessary part of m easuring t he out com e of t he event , and Yahoo! m akes it easy for com panies t o t ake full advant age of t his opt ion. Yahoo! 's Execut ive Com m unicat ions Cent er offering is a lit t le different from it s Virt ual Conference. This offering is ot herwise known as a Breaking News Channel and is used for quick int ernal com pany com m unicat ion for t he delivery of crit ical or " high- level" t im e- sensit ive knowledge. According t o Jim Fanella, senior vice president of Yahoo! 's Business and Ent erprise Services Division, t he power t o reach hundreds t o t housands of people is im perat ive t o st rat egic business com m unicat ions. Yahoo! has launched t he t ools t o bet t er facilit at e t he delivery of crit ical inform at ion t o every group a com pany needs t o reach, from cust om ers and sales forces t o business part ners and t he m edia. PR Newswire has been servicing public relat ions professionals for years and is well known for it s t rem endous reach and dist ribut ion of news t o t housands of m edia out let s. When a com pany like PR Newswire t eam s up wit h a com pany like Thom son Financial, known for it s t echnology solut ions, t he result is a host of Webcast ing services wit h wide- reaching m edia dist ribut ion t hat far surpasses what eit her com pany could achieve alone. ( See our int erview wit h Michelle Savage, vice president of invest or relat ions services, and Mark DeLaurent is, divisional vice president of event cast ing at Mult iVu, a PR Newswire com pany, on pages 138 and 139 in t his chapt er.) Anot her int erest ing com pany we int erviewed is Net briefings ( net briefings.com ) , which is known for it s worldwide online conferencing services. Headquart ered in St . Paul, Minnesot a, t he com pany offers a convenient , easy, and less cost ly way t o develop event s online t o educat e larger audiences. I n addit ion, wit h an easy Event Managem ent Syst em , Net briefings' client s learn how t o develop and design t heir own event s specifically for t he Web, including creat ion of event t em plat es, t hrough a sim ple Web- browser–based int erface. Gary Anderson, president and CEO of Net briefings, t old us about t he com pany's array of services. Net briefings offers Webcast ing solut ions from t he high- end full st udio and audio event t o m idrange PowerPoint present at ions wit h st ream ing video. The com pany also provides lower level Webcast s t hat include PowerPoint present at ions wit h audio conferences. What st ands out t he m ost from our conversat ion wit h Anderson is t he am ount of work his com pany does wit h public relat ions professionals as well as event and convent ion planners. He feels t hat his com pany is working wit h PR professionals who represent m any different indust ries involved wit h online event s from t he Office of t he Unit ed St at es Trade Represent at ive and it s 4t h Minist erial Conference of t he World Trade Organizat ion ( WTO) in Saudi Arabia t o St . Paul- based Lawson Soft ware for it s CUE 2001 annual user conference. The Webcast from Saudi Arabia is an excellent exam ple of an event t hat occurred aft er Sept em ber 11, 2001, in which t he delegat es from m any large m ult inat ional corporat ions were unable t o t ravel t o t hat region of t he world. Many sim ply did not want t o m ake t he t rip and t he Webcast brought t he delegat es t o an online com m unit y t o accom plish t heir com m unicat ion obj ect ives wit h unprecedent ed access t o t his event . This part icular event was incredibly valuable in t hat it allowed t he Webcast of a high- profile event wit h news and inform at ion reaching t hose involved even prior t o newspapers and m aj or net works dissem inat ing

t he inform at ion. Net briefings' Webcast of Lawson Soft ware's CUE 2001 conference was anot her successful event t hat illust rat ed t he increasing int erest am ong com panies in Webcast ing for public relat ions event s. The press conference, which is held every year in Anaheim , California, is a forum t o announce new product s and em phasize cust om er success st ories. Wit h high- t ech public relat ions being ext rem ely com pet it ive in recent years, m edia coverage and physical at t endance at t hese event s have failed t o m eet expect at ions. The abilit y t o Webcast a news conference and t hen archive video on dem and wit h elect ronic press kit s is an excellent way t o accom m odat e edit ors and report ers whose schedules do not perm it event at t endance. Wit h respect t o Lawson's Webcast conference Anderson st at ed, " We are pleased t o have innovat ive, high- t ech client s, like Lawson Soft ware, adopt ing our t echnology for innovat ive uses t hat dem onst rat e benefit s beyond t hose for which we are recognized." Anderson also discussed several ot her issues regarding Webcast s t hat should pique t he int erest of PR professionals. They, t oo, at t est t o t he fact t hat Webcast s are on t he rise, j ust based on Net briefings' increase in business. I n August 2001, Net briefings was only receiving a few hit s a day on it s Web sit e, but t hat figure has gone up dram at ically since t hen, as have t he request s for inform at ion or live dem os of t he com pany's Webcast solut ions. The m arket has changed a great deal as Web conferencing has becom e larger, and is expect ed t o becom e a $5.2 billion m arket in 2005. Anderson believes t hat Net briefings' success wit h Webcast s and it s abilit y t o service so m any different com panies has t o do wit h t he level of cust om er service and consult ing t hat t he com pany provides. Webcast ing has it s share of issues and Net briefings is right on t op of t hree very im port ant issues t o ensure t hey do not pose any problem s m oving forward: Bandwidt h: Net briefings works t o det erm ine end- user audiences. I f it 's a corporat e audience, is t here a DSL or T1 line? For a hom e office t he com pany recognizes t he issues of lower bandwidt h and offers appropriat e t ools. Soft ware t o download: Net briefings suggest s RealPlayer or Windows Media Player and works wit h t he end user t o generat e inst ruct ions. Net briefings request s t hat t he com pany do a syst em s check t o m ake sure t hat it 's ready for t he Webcast . Cust om er service: Net briefings set s up a cust om er service line so t hat end users can be a part of t he program and t o m ake sure t hat everyone has t he best experience possible. Net briefings was frank about t he ot her difficult ies wit h Webcast s. Most of t hese issues lie wit hin t he int ernal net work of a com pany and can be described as an int ernal bandwidt h problem . Aft er a consult at ion m eet ing, Net briefings det erm ines if t here is enough bandwidt h or if an out side server on t he public I nt ernet should be ut ilized. I n addit ion, t here are also firewall issues and Net briefings does it s best t o work out t he firewall issues when t he client init ially goes t o open up t he dem o and part icipat e in t he syst em check. Wit h respect t o m any of t he issues m ent ioned, Net briefings suggest s t hat PR professionals be ready t o work wit h I T depart m ent s. However, t here are m any t im es t hat PR people do not want t o work wit h I T, and Net briefings st eps in t o m ake it a sm oot her process. Moving forward, Anderson is cert ain t hat Webcast s will be t he m ode of com m unicat ion of t he fut ure wit h increasing qualit y, ease of use, and m ore bandwidt h for bet t er qualit y connect ions. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Journalists Are Interested Journalist s we've t alked t o have m ixed feeling about Webcast s. Many adm it t hey'd m uch rat her read t he t ext of an execut ive's rem arks t han spend t he t im e wat ching a speech live on a Webcast . On t he ot her hand, t here are big news event s like corporat e earnings report s or m aj or product announcem ent s t hat j ournalist s want t o see live as t hey happen so t hat st ories can be writ t en im m ediat ely. The use of lim it ed- access Webcast s by m any com panies t o convey earnings inform at ion t o invest ors was not well received by j ournalist s and caused news organizat ions t o press for access. Their pressure helped bring about Regulat ion FD in Oct ober 2000 from t he SEC, which requires fair disclosure of event s affect ing public com panies. Com panies m ust now provide advance not ificat ion t o concerned part ies, including t he m edia, t hat a disclosure is fort hcom ing, including det ails on how t o part icipat e in t he event . Part ies t hat are Webcast ing can offer t he not ificat ion t hrough a news release or t he com pany's Web sit e. ( For m ore on what j ournalist s t hink of Webcast s, see our int erview wit h Bob Turner of Video Syst em s m agazine on page 135 in t his chapt er.) The bot t om line for any PR person planning a Webcast is t o focus on t he qualit y of t he audience m em ber's experience. What 's t he point of having t he m ost sophist icat ed t echnology or t hese incredibly dynam ic online event s incorporat ing visual PR if end users cannot fully enj oy t he com pany's offering? I t 's really up t o t he PR professionals t o work wit h all t he part ies involved in t he Webcast t o m ake sure t hat users are fully prepared t o view t he online event s. I t 's really no different t han t he preparat ion for an offline event . PR professionals spend count less hours in preparat ion t o m ake sure t he audience m em bers receive everyt hing t hat t hey need prior t o t he event ( i.e., invit at ions, com pany announcem ent s, rem inders, direct ions, et c.) . I t 's also im port ant t o consider t he cont ent of t he event . Having int erest ing cont ent t hat is pert inent t o t he audience m em bers t o keep t heir at t ent ion is key. Som e of t he m ost successful online event s involve CEO announcem ent s and keynot e speeches, breaking com pany news, and invest or relat ions inform at ion t o at t ract t he m edia, analyst s, invest ors, and com pany st ockholders. Keeping all of t hese considerat ions in m ind and working wit h professionals t hat are skilled in online event s m oves t he PR professional t hat m uch closer t o underst anding and being prepared t o execut e a successful online event . PR professionals can now t ake advant age of solid online public relat ions st rat egies t o engage t heir brands beyond t he norm al day- t o- day int eract ions of t heir audiences. The hype of t he Webcast is over and t he process has been dem yst ified. We're now dealing wit h a huge com m unicat ion t ool t hat works in favor of t he brand

MEDIA INTERVIEW: Bob Turner of Video Systems Magazine We spoke wit h Bob Turner, who has been writ ing about film and video edit ing issues for m ore t han 20 years. For 14 of t hose years he was on t he

m ast head of Videography m agazine. More recent ly he's been a cont ribut ing edit or for Prim edia's Video Syst em s and edit or of t he com pany's elect ronic publicat ion, " Bob Turner's THE CUT." His art icles also appear in Broadcast Engineering and Millim et er m agazine. Bob answered a series of quest ions regarding his use and int erest in Webcast s. 1 . D o you t h in k W e bca st s a r e a n e ffe ct ive t ool for j ou r n a list s t o r e ce ive in for m a t ion ? Tu r n e r : Yes, especially if Webcast s are available for pausing and replaying and t im e shift ing. Too oft en, t here is a schedule conflict t hat lim it s coverage. Also, t his would need t o be available only t o j ournalist s, or else t here is lit t le m ot ivat ion for t he j ournalist s t o writ e about what was said on t he Webcast . I have used Webcast s on several occasions on which t o base art icles and colum ns. Webcast s t hat include PowerPoint s on one screen window and t he speaker on anot her window are even bet t er. I f t he bandwidt h becom es a problem , at least I can underst and what is being said wit h t he PowerPoint . 2 . H ow oft e n do you pa r t icipa t e in W e bca st s? Tu r n e r : Less t han I would like. At one t im e, it was so effect ive t hat t he t rade shows m ade t hem less effect ive t o encourage great er at t endance. I am afraid t hat t wo t o five years ago, when t he t echnology was first allowing such t echniques, m ore were using t his com m unicat ion m et hod t han t hey are t oday. I t is ironic, since t oday, t he t echnology m akes it m uch easier and affordable t o com m unicat e t his way. I part icipat e in t his m et hod only t wo t o five t im es a year t his way, because t here are so few opport unit ies rem aining t o do so. The year t hat MacWorld first m oved t o New York Cit y from Bost on I m ay have part icipat ed in Web- st ream ed press conferences over 25 t im es. And t hat is in addit ion t o t he 10 t elephone t eleconferences. 3 . D iscu ss a r e ce n t W e bca st a n d w h y you t h in k t h e e ve n t w a s e ffe ct ive . Tu r n e r : The best was t hat first MacWorld Conference in New York Cit y. I t broadcast on m ult iple st ream ing form at s ( unlike t he QuickTim e- only broadcast s aft erwards t hat failed m iserably because t he single form at could not handle t he dem and) . The conference offered m any int erviews wit h hot links and separat e windows wit h bullet point s of speakers and links for addit ional inform at ion. The present at ions were available for several days and could be paused and backed up t o facilit at e not e t aking aft er t he live event . At t his MacWorld, alm ost every vendor had a Web sit e link available on t he MacWorld sit e. Alas, t his is no longer t he case, and MacWorld has m ade it necessary t o act ually at t end if one want s t o gain t he inform at ion required. I have also " at t ended" academ ic Web conferences wit h a speaker on t he left window, graphics on t he right fram e, and indexes in t he lower left t hat facilit at ed navigat ion aft er t he live event was over. The graphics, m ost ly PowerPoint , assist ed in keeping t he focus on what was being com m unicat ed in spit e of rat her poor video. I have also part icipat ed in press announcem ent s wit h well- edit ed com ponent s, which were clear and concise com m unicat ions followed by t alking head Q&A. This also proved quit e

effect ive. 4 . D o you t h in k j ou r n a list s a r e loggin g on m or e oft e n t o W e bca st s w h e n t h e y ca n n ot ph ysica lly a t t e n d a n e ve n t ? Tu r n e r : I am afraid it depends on what can be expect ed from t he Webcast . The t echnology now allows for an excellent com m unicat ions experience, but frequent ly, t he design of t he Webcast has det eriorat ed t o t he point t hat it is frequent ly not wort h t he t im e. Having said t hat , I believe t hat m ost j ournalist s are doing m ost of t heir research, gaining docum ent at ion, and frequent ly " int erviewing" over t he I nt ernet . Webcast s can be very effect ive, but it appears t hat t hey are act ually effect ive far less t han t hey used t o be. The desire of j ournalist s t o gain t hat inform at ion is st ill t here, but t he willingness t o use t his t echnology effect ively by t he m essage providers appears t o be less st rong t han it was in t he recent past . 5 . I f you h a d a ch oice , w ou ld you r a t h e r a t t e n d a n e ve n t or log on lin e ? Tu r n e r : I f all else were equal I would rat her at t end an online event . 6 . I n you r e x pe r ie n ce , ple a se discu ss w h a t you h a ve fou n d t o be t h e pr os a n d con s of W e bca st s. Tu r n e r : The pros of a Webcast are t hat it can be at t ended in a nonlinear way. I can st op and answer a t elephone call, or back up t he st ream and repeat it or pause and t ake not es. Also, it can easily incorporat e previously produced m essages, and it can include graphics and t ext t o com plem ent t he program . I can avoid t he wast ed t im e and expense of t ravel and t im e away from m y fam ily. The cons include t he possibilit y of being dist ract ed by ot her event s in m y office environm ent . I m ight not find it as easy t o gain specific answers or exclusive insight s via t he confident ial quest ion aft er t he event . I would m iss int eract ing wit h colleagues and sharing analysis. And of course t here are t he benefit s at t endant upon such event s, including food and sm all gift s—plus t he opport unit y t o escape from t he office and place yourself in a new set t ing wit h som e face- t o- face social conversat ion and perhaps a chance t o see friends and colleagues t hat you frequent ly do not get t o spend t im e wit h. And you can focus on t he com m unicat ions present ed wit hout environm ent al pressures you m ight experience in your norm al office set t ing. Of course j ournalist s can m iss aspect s of t he com m unicat ion wit hout t he abilit y t o " rewind and replay" t he event . Being t aken away from ot her dut ies for t ravel can be st ressful and expensive. And if you need t o do m ore t han a day t rip, you m ay not sleep as well in a bed t hat is not your own. These all cont ribut e t o m y conclusion t hat I would clearly prefer t he far m ore efficient and effect ive Webcast com m unicat ion, when such a Webbased event is done properly. Finally, for t he com pany wit h t he m essage, if t he locat ion is a convent ion wit h m any press conferences, t he single m essage from a com pany can be lost by t he m any m essages a j ournalist is bom barded wit h.

7 . D o you fin d t h a t a r ch ive d W e bca st s ( or vide o on de m a n d) a r e u se fu l? Tu r n e r : I t m ay be one of t he m ost useful aspect s for m e personally, as indicat ed by previous st at em ent s. Tie t his wit h links for addit ional inform at ion, enough illust rat ions and phot os t o com plem ent it , and even a t ranscript of t he event t o assist wit h accurat e quot at ions, and it will be far m ore desirable for m e t o select t hat event as a basis for a colum n t han a poorly creat ed one.

PR INTERVIEW: Michelle Savage of PR Newswire PR Newswire is capt uring t he at t ent ion of m any of it s client s wit h t he abilit y t o provide Webcast ing services t hrough Thom son Financial. As expert s in m edia dist ribut ion, PR Newswire gave us insight int o t his st eadily growing business. We spoke wit h Michelle Savage, vice president of invest or relat ions services, who im m ediat ely t old us t hat " Webcast ing is becom ing a st andard service and PR Newswire is working t o dem yst ify t he process." First and forem ost , Savage explained, PR Newswire provides Webcast s for t wo reasons. From a regulat ory st andpoint , Webcast s can help prot ect against select ive disclosure by ensuring t hat all int erest ed part ies have access t o t he sam e inform at ion at t he sam e t im e. This m akes com pany com m unicat ions m ore " fair." The concept of fair disclosure is a driving force behind t he invest m ent com m unit y's use of Webcast s. Many PR Newswire client s are using t heir Webcast ing services. " I t 's alm ost an insurance policy," st at ed Savage. " You can be on a t elephone call wit h a select group of analyst s, but t hrough t he Webcast you can inform t he general public at t he sam e t im e." PR Newswire is m andat ed t o provide not ificat ion ( alt hough a specified t im e fram e is not given) . I n accordance wit h Reg. FD, t he com pany sends out a news release not ice five days in advance and t hen t he day of t he Webcast ( sim ilar t o a m edia advisory) . All int erest ed part ies are not ified, giving client s " peace of m ind." The second m aj or reason is for broader exposure. According t o Savage and m ost of t he professionals we've been dealing wit h, Webcast ing is a great way t o reach analyst s who couldn't part icipat e ot herwise. The abilit y t o reach m ore professionals in t he invest m ent com m unit y is one of t he prim e reasons why PR Newswire t eam ed up wit h Thom son Financial. Savage explained how Thom son added value t o t he Webcast ing services. Wit h a product called First Call, Thom son offers a dat abase of sell- side analyst s who m ake buy and sell recom m endat ions on st ocks and who need t o be invit ed t o t he Webcast s affect ing t he com panies t hey follow. The obj ect ive of Webcast ing is not j ust post ing an event —it 's t o deliver a m essage t o a key audience. Two key audiences for PR Newswire's client s include t he m edia and t he invest ors. PR Newswire has t he abilit y t o successfully reach bot h t arget audiences. Savage also com m ent ed on how m ore com panies are using t he service. These indust ries vary, encom passing everyt hing from com put ers and hight ech t o healt h care and pharm aceut icals. Of all t he indust ries, com put ers and high- t ech represent t he highest percent age wit h respect t o cont inued

use of t he services. However, wit hin every indust ry t here are prelim inary considerat ions of which PR professionals need t o be aware: Where is t he event going t o t ake place? I s it really going t o reach t he m edia? What t ype of report ing is available aft er t he event ? I s a regist rat ion report provided? Can t he com pany follow up wit h t he Webcast part icipant s? Will all audiences have t he abilit y t o access t he event ( keeping in m ind m odem speed, firewall, and t ype of m edia player) ? Will t he Webcast sat isfy Reg. FD? I s t he reason for Webcast ing cost efficient ? According t o PR Newswire's com pany research, cust om ers using t he service are not only sat isfied, but t hey also are repeat users. PR Newswire has seen a large increase in volum e bot h wit h exist ing cust om ers who cont inually use t he Webcast ing services and am ong new client s discovering how t he com pany m akes Web services sim ple and affordable.

PR INTERVIEW: Mark Delaurentis of MultiVu Mark DeLaurent is, divisional vice president , Event cast ing for Mult iVu, a PR Newswire com pany, shared his t hought s regarding t he increase in Webcast ing. He st art ed wit h PR Newswire in April 1999 and saw how t he use of video in Webcast ing peaked and t hen died off when t he econom y went int o a recession in 2001. There was m uch m ore of a need for audio and t eleconference Web services. However, as of 2002, video in Webcast s is on t he rise. This fluct uat ion could be at t ribut ed t o t he fact t hat t here is a price different ial bet ween audio and video Webcast ing. Audio services cost anywhere from $700 t o $4,000. Video, on t he ot her hand, can include a full broadcast product ion, which can st art at $15,000. Regardless of audio or video, Webcast s have capt ured t he at t ent ion of t he m edia. DeLaurent is gave t he exam ple of t he Republican Part y's Nat ional Convent ion Webcast launching t he part y's convent ion Web sit e m ont hs prior t o t he convent ion and ensuing cam paign. Som e of t he m ost wellknown j ournalist s logged on t o t he Web sit e, and t he result was excellent print coverage. I t also drew t he at t ent ion of m aj or j ournalist s who cover Capit ol Hill for t elevision and radio. Anot her good exam ple of a Webcast t hat at t ract ed key j ournalist s is t hat of Sabre Syst em s. DeLaurent is st at ed t hat t his reservat ions com pany needed a Webcast in 90 m inut es and PR Newswire was able t o furnish t he request . Alt hough t he t im e fram e was short , t he Webcast at t ract ed key m edia including The Wall St reet Journal

and m aj or daily newspapers. " I t 's t he new direct ion of Webcast s," he said, referring t o t he com pressed product ion t im e. " The fut ure of Webcast ing is an always- on scenario," he added. " I t 's t he abilit y t o have t he Webcast quickly and efficient ly. The day has arrived when a CEO can walk out of t he office and right int o a st udio t o com m unicat e t o invest ors or em ployees t hrough Webcast ing," he cont inued. What m akes a com pany such as PR Newswire and it s client s m ove closer t oward t his " always- on" scenario is t he great er need for Webcast ing services, and t he recognit ion in t he m arket t hat a welldesigned program by a qualified com pany can deliver a st rong m essage. DeLaurent is said t hat when PR Newswire cont em plat es a Webcast it does an ext ensive am ount of consult ing. One of t he first quest ions answered is t his: Should t he Webcast be an audio Webcast wit h a synched PowerPoint present at ion or should it be a video Webcast ? Audio Webcast s are popular and can include a present er- cont rolled slide present at ion. By using slides and graphics, com panies can appeal t o a visual societ y. DeLaurent is advised t hat wit hout t he slides and graphics, audience ret ent ion declines. However, in t he case of earnings, t his is a dist inct group of list eners who do not necessarily need an accom panying slide present at ion. DeLaurent is recom m ends a video when t he cont ent of t he Webcast warrant s one. Exam ples include panel discussions, or when t he CEO of t he com pany want s t o present visually t o a group. Of course, video is m ore expensive. A Mult iVu " Aut om at ed Audiocast " t akes advant age of exist ing t echnology and allows for com m unicat ors t o present from t heir office wit h a slide show direct ly t o t heir virt ual audience on t he Web. These Webcast s can be t oo long and m ight lose t he at t ent ion of audiences. Succinct m essaging t hrough Webcast ing can be incredibly powerful because com panies can reach t heir t arget audiences as easily as dist ribut ing or e- m ailing t he link. Even t he m aj or launch of a product only requires a half- hour present at ion and t hen t im e for Q&A. Alm ost all videocast m odels are based on one hour. The t im e issue does not apply t o all sit uat ions but it is som et hing serious t o consider. DeLaurent is ended t he int erview wit h a focus on t he fut ure of t he Webcast . He discussed how robot ic cam eras will cont inue t o m ake inroads in video product ion, as will com pressed product ion schedules wit h rapid t urnaround. " Get t ing crucial inform at ion t o your t arget audiences rapidly is what Webcast ing is all about . At Mult iVu we cont inue t o develop our services t hat break down t he barriers of reaching t he cust om ers and invest ors t hat buy com pany product s and invest in com pany st ock. This powerful new m edium has yet t o reach it s pot ent ial and as broadband cont inues t o grow, t he desire for cont ent will only increase."

PR INTERVIEW: Pat Meier of Pat Meier Associates Pat Meier is a broadcast j ournalist by t raining, as is her husband, who has also worked as a cinem at ographer. She describes t heir int erest in Webcast s as " a nat ural m erger" t hat has brought t oget her a PR firm and a Webcast

com pany, 1Webcast (1webcast .com ) . " There are cert ainly t hings you can say verbally—be it audio or video—t hat you sim ply can't say in print ," says Meier, explaining t he im port ance of a sm ile, a wink, or anot her facial expression in indicat ing whet her a speaker is being sarcast ic, facet ious, or dead serious. Video can also be im port ant in conveying whet her t he CEO or ot her t op execut ives have " passion" for what t hey're doing or are sim ply working for a paycheck, she says. Meier, whose Mill Valley, California, firm represent s m any t echnology com panies, favors preproduced video segm ent s of five or six m inut es over live, event - driven Webcast s. The lat t er are needed, she says, in t he case of quart erly earnings report s, but can generally be handled wit h audio- only services provided by a num ber of vendors. Packaged video segm ent s, by cont rast , put t he power of t he producer in t he hands of t he client and t he PR people and enable t hem t o craft t he m essage and t he accom panying im ages in ways not possible when your client accept s an invit at ion t o be on CNBC or a radio show. " By Webcast ing, you act ually are your own m edium ," she says. Webcast ing let s you go around CNBC or ot her m edia out let s t o reach your client 's cust om ers direct ly, she says. Journalist s will also find value in t he Webcast s if t hey are done in a proper t one wit hout being sales- orient ed, she says. " You can't be so hypey or airy- fairy t hat it 's a puff piece." Meier says Webcast s are t heir own t ool and t herefore don't need t o fit int o your t radit ional pract ices. You m ight not ordinarily issue a press release t o have your CEO com m ent on a com pet it or's product announcem ent , she says, but it 's okay t o put a Webcast online in which t he CEO com m ent s on com pet it ors' announcem ent s and ot her indust ry event s. " You can do your own roundt able and becom e your own expert s," she says. She recom m ends a quick e- m ail t o select groups of j ournalist s t o alert t hem when such Webcast s are put online. Video product ion equipm ent is less expensive t han it used t o be, Meier says, and does not require an elaborat e st udio. Meier's firm orchest rat es independent press lunches during m aj or com put er t rade shows, such as Com dex, CES, and Siggraph, and has m ade a sm all business out of creat ing brief video Webcast s for t he com panies t hat sponsor or showcase at t he press luncheons. As part of t he sponsorship fee, Meier's firm will shoot t he video in t he rest aurant , do t he edit ing in a hot el room , and post t he video on Meier's Web sit e (pat m eier.com ) , where it can be linked t o by any of t he sponsoring com panies. Meier says an execut ive who is willing t o devot e t im e t o appearing on a supposedly news- orient ed Web sit e wit h quest ionable claim s of audience size should inst ead be persuaded t o invest his or her t im e and a lit t le m oney in hiring a film or video crew t o creat e a Webcast t hat t he com pany cont rols. Young producers are out t here, she says, but you want one who will produce a m ainst ream Webcast rat her t han som et hing avant garde, or, worse yet , t oo salesy for use by legit im at e news organizat ions. " You don't want t o be glit zy," she caut ions, but she does recom m end at least a lit t le m akeup t o keep your CEO from looking shiny and unt rust wort hy. Anot her im port ant ingredient t o feat ure in a Webcast is your client 's cust om ers, Meier not es. Get t ing people t o t alk about how your client 's

product or service has brought change for t he bet t er t o t heir organizat ion can be very powerful in at t ract ing m edia coverage or in winning over prospect ive cust om ers who m ight be visit ing t he client 's Web sit e. " There has t o be a delt a," Meier says. " How were t hings before? How are t hey now?" One t hing t o rem em ber as you m ove forward wit h Webcast s is not t o forget about report ers who m ight st ill be accessing t he I nt ernet over a 56K m odem , Meier says. She recom m ends ident ifying t he best few seconds of a four- m inut e Webcast and offering t hat as " an excerpt " t o report ers. Your em ail t hat alert s t hem t o t he Webcast should provide one URL for t he full Webcast and anot her for t he excerpt , or one encoded for low- bandwidt h connect ions and one for higher speeds. " I t 's also nice t o back up an int erview wit h a t ranscript ," she not es.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Part III: Protecting the Brand Chapt er 10. Monit oring Brand Com m unicat ion Chapt er 11. New Tools for Crisis Managem ent Chapt er 12. I nt egrat ing Your PR St rat egies Chapt er 13. Don't Forget about Privacy [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 10. Monitoring Brand Communication Knowing what is said about your online client is as im port ant as knowing what 's said in print . Vendors offer affordable search services t hat are m ore efficient t han doing it on your own. Think carefully before responding t o post ings or t rying t o m anipulat e a discussion group wit h m essages t hat favor your client . The earlier chapt ers of t his book should have left you wit h an im proved sense of how t he I nt ernet can help you get t he m essage out about your client s and t heir brands. Sm art er use of e- m ail, newslet t ers, and Webcast s is going t o help you reach m ore report ers and consum ers t han was possible in t he old, offline world. However, we've also not ed t hat t his new environm ent bears close wat ching because it is a forum t hat never sleeps—a net work t hat can sprout a new m essage board, chat room , or a Web sit e at any hour of any day—and people can use t hese forum s t o praise or at t ack your client and it s brands. I gnoring t his arena could m ean get t ing a lat e st art in fight ing a false st at em ent or rum or aft er it has had t im e t o gain credence am ong pot ent ial cust om ers. I n Chapt er 4, we suggest ed t hat you becom e fam iliar wit h m onit oring services like eWat ch of PR Newswire so you could find out which report ers are covering what t opics. I n t his chapt er, we aim t o m ake a st rong case for working wit h a m onit oring com pany t o get as com plet e a pict ure as possible of what is being said about your client s online by report ers and by t he general public. Several large PR firm s offer t heir own m onit oring services, prom ising t o keep t heir client s aware on a daily or hourly basis of im port ant references t o t heir com panies and brands in online newspapers, newslet t ers, Web sit es, and discussion groups. Many of t he firm s get t heir dat a from vendors such as eWat ch, Burrelle's, and CyberAlert , which also work direct ly wit h client s eager t o keep up wit h online post ings about t heir com panies and brands. The services have creat ed search engines t hat can be fed t he keywords m ost likely t o be associat ed wit h your client . The search soft ware is t hen unleashed across t he I nt ernet t o uncover all exam ples of news st ories, m essage board post ings, or chat room com m ent s t hat m ight relat e t o your client . The services are not foolproof. They cannot report on chat room com m ent s if t hey are not archived in som e fashion. Som e do not search subscript ion- based Web sit es such as The Wall St reet Journal's. None of t hem will find online references t o your com pany on Web sit es t hat do not use t he Rom an alphabet , because t heir search engines generally do not handle Japanese, Chinese, Greek, or Cyrillic charact ers. Despit e t heir failings, m any PR people who subscribe t o m onit oring services are ext rem ely ent husiast ic about t heir value. " I t hink every brand in every com pany should be m onit oring online," says David Dunne, execut ive vice president and

direct or of operat ions for Edelm an I nt eract ive Solut ions. His agency offers a Web m onit oring service called I - Wire t hat is based on dat a ret rieved by eWat ch. " Every t im e we m onit or for a brand or a com pany we are pleasant ly surprised by t he dept h of dat a we can produce," says Dunne, who has done m onit oring for m any client s, including Apple Com put er and Microsoft 's Xbox gam e player. A m aj or reason why Apple has offered it s iMac com put er in so m any colors is t he feedback received by m onit oring online discussion groups, says Dunne. Apple has a loyal cust om er base t hat part icipat es in online groups and was quit e vocal in request ing m ore color choices, he says. Anot her Edelm an client , Dunne says, discovered bugs in it s soft ware product s t hrough Web m onit oring and ended up having it s engineers part icipat e in t he groups t o m ake cust om ers aware of pat ches t hat were available and t o recruit som e newsgroup part icipant s for t he com pany's own bet a t est ers' group for fut ure releases. ( For m ore on Dunne's experiences wit h Web m onit oring, see our int erview wit h him on page 160 in t his chapt er.) Bill Com cowich, CEO of Connect icut - based CyberAlert I nc., says t he value of Web m onit oring is not yet apparent t o m any PR people who rem ain preoccupied wit h count ing how m any of t heir press releases are picked up in a lim it ed num ber of prom inent print publicat ions. He says client s are concerned about t he reput at ion of t heir brands in all m edia, not j ust t he m aj or newspapers and m agazines, and com panies like CyberAlert are well posit ioned t o report on how a com pany and it s brands are being discussed. " There's clearly a m ovem ent t o m easure t he value of PR or t he ret urn on invest m ent [ ROI ] ," he says. " This kind of t echnology is going t o be crucial in t hat m ovem ent t oward ROI ." One way in which CyberAlert can be m ost valuable, Com cowich says, is in helping client s respond im m ediat ely t o at t acks on t hem selves or t heir brands. Many com panies have found t hem selves t o be t he subj ect of derogat ory Web sit es wit h nam es like chasesucks.com , which are est ablished prim arily t o post negat ive com m ent s about a com pany and it s goods or services. Services like CyberAlert 's give cust om ers t he abilit y t o get regular report s on post ings t o such Web sit es wit hout having t o t ap one of t heir own people t o m onit or t he sit e. At t he sam e t im e, t he cust om er get s report s on post ings—bot h negat ive and posit ive—t hat occur on t housands of ot her Web sit es and newsgroups. I n fact , m any com panies find out about posit ive t hings t heir far- flung com panies are doing in t he way of corporat e philant hropy and com m unit y goodwill, of which t hey m ight ot herwise not be aware. Com cowich says com panies do not need t o respond t o every negat ive rem ark m ade on an I nt ernet m essage board, but he believes in t he value of responding quickly t o m isinform at ion t hat shows signs of spreading quickly t o ot her forum s and possibly int o t he m ainst ream press. CyberAlert 's cust om ers generally consider t heir use of t he service t o be a t rade secret , so Com cowich isn't able t o nam e t hem . However, he does t alk about how CyberAlert helped a chem ical com pany becom e aware t hat it was a t arget of a prot est m ovem ent t aking shape online against genet ically m odified foods. The com pany used t his inform at ion t o defend it self by shaping t he debat e on it s t erm s. Sim ilarly, CyberAlert says it helped a soft ware com pany becom e aware of a bug in one of it s program s t hat was angering consum ers. A credit card com pany, m eanwhile, found out t hat consum ers were com plaining online about a delay in t he post ing of paym ent s and it t raced t he problem t o a business part ner t hat it subsequent ly replaced. An insurance com pany, m eanwhile, said it found out t hat independent brokers were m isrepresent ing t he benefit s of t he com pany's policies. A drug com pany found out t hat doct ors were prescribing one of it s m edicines inappropriat ely.

When we spoke t o CyberAlert in 2002 it s cust om ers were paying a flat rat e of $395 a m ont h wit h no addit ional cost s per clipping or for addit ional keywords. Com cowich would not divulge t he size of his client base, but he did say t hat his com pany was handling 2,000 searches a day. CyberAlert was delivering clips daily, but it was planning t o offer m ore frequent report ing on m ore lim it ed num bers of Web sit es. PR people who m ight not have t he budget for such a m onit oring service m ight find support am ong ot her execut ives at t heir com pany who are charged wit h st rat egic planning. One way Web m onit oring services have proven effect ive has been in m onit oring t he act ivit ies of com pet it ors t o discover t heir product plans and ot her init iat ives—som et im es before t hey are officially announced. Som et im es a new init iat ive can be revealed in a Web page m ist akenly put online t oo early or in online list ings of new posit ions t hat indicat e a com pet it or is ram ping up in som e part icular area. Com cowich set up a guest account for us so we could j udge t he value of CyberAlert for ourselves. He provided us wit h a login we could use at t he cyberalert .com sit e t o m onit or searches he creat ed for us. We also received daily e- m ails cont aining t he lat est result s for ongoing searches. A search for Krispy Krem e, a rapidly expanding Nort h Carolina- based doughnut m aker, t urned up dozens of hit s during our dem onst rat ion period and point ed out t he wide variet y of ways in which brand nam es are invoked on t he I nt ernet . I n one day, Krispy Krem e earned a m ent ion in The Honolulu St ar- Bullet in in a business t rend st ory as an exam ple of a com pany t hat had changed t he t icker sym bol on it s st ock. An announcem ent of Krispy Krem e's int ent ion t o expand int o new m arket s was report ed in a num ber of publicat ions from El Paso, Texas, t o Am arillo, Texas, t o Billings, Mont ana, t o Nort h Carolina. However, CyberAlert 's result s also would have provided a PR person wit h som e exam ples of t he negat ive consequences of being a fast - growing brand. I n one exam ple, t he com pany's fant ast ic success in Minnesot a was used against it by t wo different let t er writ ers in The St ar Tribune. One lam ent ed t hat Minnesot ans were m ore likely t o support Krispy Krem e t han t he Twins baseball t eam and t he ot her not ed t hat one t own had spent a half- m illion dollars on doughnut s in one week even t hough it was unwilling t o invest in school im provem ent s. I n anot her exam ple, t he St at e Journal- Regist er of Springfield, I llinois, report ed som e ant i- Krispy Krem e sent im ent in not ing t he choice of Midwest rival Mel- O- Cream for a local school fundraiser rat her t han using an " out of- t own business." Krispy Krem e's PR represent at ives m ight also be int erest ed in how Krispy Krem e has worked it s way int o t he vernacular of I nt ernet bullet in board post ers. Whereas one was raising a Krispy Krem e donut in a t oast t o a fellow newsgroup part icipant , anot her was professing his " hat e" for t he donut s in a newsgroup devot ed t o Disney t hem e parks. Teen sit e gURL.com , m eanwhile, invoked t he com pany's nam e in a way sure t o be unpopular wit h doughnut m arket ers, suggest ing t hat boy bands " are pum ped out like so m any overglazed Krispy Krem e donut s." Nancy Sells of eWat ch, a Minnesot a- based unit of PR Newswire, says she cont inues t o be surprised by how m any PR people are not yet looking on t he I nt ernet for references—bot h posit ive and negat ive—t o t heir client s and t heir brands. Sells says she st ill sees big st acks of paper clippings when she visit s prospect ive client s. " There's som et hing about visual present at ion t hat 's st ill im port ant ," she says. The challenge for eWat ch, she says, is t o persuade PR people t hat t hey need t o go beyond paper clippings t o keep up wit h t he I nt ernet forum s t hat are shaping public opinion. So m uch of what appears on t he I nt ernet will never appear on paper, she

not es, point ing t o not only bullet in boards, but t o so m uch of t he ext ra cont ent t hat newspapers and m agazines place on t heir Web sit es t hat does not m ake it int o print . " Many of t hem don't underst and t hat what is available online m ight never appear anywhere else," she says of PR pract it ioners. " I t 's up t o us t o art iculat e our value." The recession t hat followed t he dot - com bust has only m ade it m ore difficult t o get people t o exam ine new services, says Sells. When we spoke t o eWat ch in 2002 it was selling five different services—covering Web publicat ions, invest or boards, newsgroups, online forum s, and Web sit es—each for $3,900 a year. A cust om er who subscribed t o all five was paying $17,500 a year. We put eWat ch t o work t racking references t o Krispy Krem e's com pet it or Dunkin' Donut s and were again im pressed wit h t he result s. Like CyberAlert , eWat ch ret urned a large num ber of references from all across t he I nt ernet . The com pany's PR people would cert ainly be int erest ed in t he various st ories report ing on t he planned opening of new franchises from Oconee Count y, Georgia, t o West Chicago, I llinois. One newsgroup part icipant was crit ical of Dunkin' Donut s for not offering a st ore locat or on it s Web sit e—an erroneous claim t hat m ight be wort h correct ing. An art icle on Billboard's billboard.com , m eanwhile, showed t he value of at t aching your corporat e nam e t o a sport s arena as t he Dunkin' Donut s Cent er in Providence, Rhode I sland, was list ed as a venue for t he Rock Fest concert t our. An Associat ed Press st ory, however, reflect ed t he downside of such associat ions as t he Dunkin' Donut s nam e was linked t o a report on t he indict m ent of t he arena's act ing execut ive direct or on t heft charges. eWat ch's result s also indicat ed t he ext ent t o which Dunkin' Donut s is part of Am erican cult ure, for bot h posit ive and negat ive reasons. One newspaper st ory report ed on a Massachuset t s bank robber who asked t hat t he t eller fill his Dunkin' Donut s bag wit h cash while he calm ly at e a doughnut . A report in The Providence Journal not ed t hat t he corrupt ion t rial of t hat cit y's m ayor had feat ured an audiot ape m ade by t he FBI of conversat ions in a local Dunkin' Donut s st ore. Various newsgroups feat ured cont ribut ors who were sipping Dunkin' Donut s coffee as t hey sat at t heir keyboards and som e were concerned about t raffic pat t erns around t heir local Dunkin' Donut s st ore. A Web pub called " The St rait s Tim es" not ed in a career advice art icle t hat singer Madonna had a rough st art as a Dunkin' Donut s clerk who was fired for squirt ing j am at a cust om er. Perhaps m ore useful t o a PR person, t hough, was a m ent ion in The New Haven Regist er of a breast cancer walkat hon t hat feat ured free doughnut s donat ed by t he Cam pbell Avenue franchise in West Haven, Connect icut . A t hird player in t he Web m onit oring gam e is Burrelle's I nform at ion Services, t he 114- year vet eran of t he paper- clipping business. I n t he last 10 years it has m oved st eadily t oward t he elect ronic realm , offering m onit oring of publicat ion Web sit es, newsgroups, and ot her forum s. Given t he large base of cust om ers it has for paper clippings, Burrelle's m ight be in t he best posit ion t o m ove m any of it s cust om ers t o Web m onit oring, whereas it s com pet it ors like CyberAlert and eWat ch m ust first ident ify t hose prospect ive cust om ers, est ablish relat ionships wit h t hem , and persuade t hem t hat Web m onit oring is a new service t hat t hey need. Even so, it hasn't been an easy sell, according t o Bruce Merchant , execut ive vice president of Burrelle's. " There's a need t o do an educat ional process wit h m any client s," he says. " What t hey really value is st ill t he t radit ional press," he adds. " There's a large part of our client base who st ill want s t o sm ell ink and get ink on t heir fingers." Merchant says m any PR professionals cit e t wo com m on argum ent s against Web

m onit oring. " The percept ion is t hat everyt hing on t he Web is free so why would I pay Burrelle's t o m onit or t he Web?" he says. Anot her frequent ly heard com m ent is " I 'm not ready t o j um p int o t hat pond j ust yet ." I n response, Merchant argues t hat I nt ernet cont ent is im port ant because what is said online can really hurt a com pany. He point s, as an exam ple, t o a downt urn in Berkshire Hat haway's st ock in recent years t hat was linked t o m essage board com m ent s about t he supposedly failing healt h of chairm an Warren Buffet t . Com panies t hat t hink t hey can handle t he m onit oring on t heir own are in for a rude awakening, Merchant says, not ing t hat Burrelle's has refined it s search procedures over t he years and st ill com es up wit h a lot of garbage of lit t le value t o it s client s. " Eight y percent of what we find on t he I nt ernet is discarded," he says, not ing t he im port ance t hat Burrelle's places on em ploying hum an edit ors who review search result s and share only t he m ost relevant ones wit h client s. This hum an int ervent ion, however, com es at a price. When we spoke t o Merchant in 2002, a client who want ed im m ediat e elect ronic not ificat ion of relevant newsgroup post ings or Web references was being charged $175 a m ont h for Burrelle's NewsAlert service plus $3.71 for every clip t hat an edit or found t o be consist ent wit h t he client 's int erest s. Burrelle's was also print ing out newsgroup and Web references and m ailing t hem t o client s as part of a service t hat cost $287 a m ont h plus $1.58 per clipping. Merchant acknowledges t hat Burrelle's could operat e m ore efficient ly if it were possible t o elect ronically ret rieve all pert inent references t o a client regardless of source—print , Web, newsgroup—and share t hem elect ronically wit h client s. He says t hat day is com ing wit hin several years, but a m aj or barrier t hat m ust st ill be overcom e is copyright rest rict ions t hat keep Burrelle's from m aking elect ronic copies of art icles t o share wit h client s. The com pany subscribes t o paper publicat ions so it can cut out art icles for it s client s, but m any newspaper and m agazine publishers are seeking t o m ake m oney on t heir own elect ronic archives and have not yet been willing t o discuss arrangem ent s wit h Burrelle's t hat would enable t he clipping com pany t o deliver art icles elect ronically. " From a publisher's point of view, it 's not on t he radar screen," he says. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Reporters Are Already There I f post ings by individuals are not enough of a concern for you or your client , t hen consider t he fact t hat report ers are also online t rolling for inform at ion and opinions t hat m ight find t heir way int o art icles—t hereby gaining im m ediat e credibilit y. Report ers we know say t hey frequent ly search newsgroups and Web sit es for inform at ion about com panies and brands t hey're assigned t o cover. I t can t ake a lot of digging in search of elusive gem s, but j ournalist s say it can be wort h t he effort when t hey find a newsgroup cont ribut or who is a current em ployee, form er em ployee, business part ner, or ot herwise knowledgeable source about a com pany or it s product s. Som et im es, an individual post can be a st ory by it self, as in t he case of t he flaw in I nt el's Pent ium com put er chip t hat cam e t o t he at t ent ion of report ers in 1994 aft er an e- m ail discussion st art ed by a Virginia m at h professor ended up in a Com puServe discussion forum . We're also rem inded of t he negat ive press about Lexis- Nexis in 1996 t hat was fed by m essage board post ings by people angry about a new research service t hat revealed t he Social Securit y num bers of privat e cit izens. More recent ly, The New York Tim es report ed in it s July 15, 2002 edit ion t hat t he t roubles facing The Advent ures of Plut o Nash, an Eddie Murphy m ovie from Warner Brot hers and Cast le Rock Ent ert ainm ent , could be t ied t o an I nt ernet post ing. The Tim es said t hat negat ive publicit y preceding t he m ovie's release could be t raced t o a five- paragraph negat ive review post ed on a Web sit e called Ain't I t Cool News ( aint it coolnews.com ) by som eone who had at t ended a preview screening in Pasadena, California. A reference t o t he review by Tim e m agazine helped spread t he negat ive news and got m ore people associat ing Plut o Nash wit h words like " flop" and " t urkey" before it even hit t heat ers. Wendy M. Grossm an, a freelance writ er and book aut hor who has writ t en for Scient ific Am erican , New Scient ist, and The Daily Telegraph from her post in t he Unit ed Kingdom , says newsgroups are usually m ost useful in m aking report ers aware of pot ent ial sources who can be int erviewed privat ely offline. Files of frequent ly asked quest ions ( FAQs) are also very useful in educat ing report ers about t opics t hat m ight be new t o t hem . Bom bshell post s like t he one about t he Pent ium flaw are pret t y rare. Nevert heless, Grossm an says her own recreat ional reading of t he rec.sport .t ennis newsgroup result ed in a book review for Tennis Magazine when a post ing m ade her aware of a new book by Nat halie Tauziat , a French player, t hat was being released only in France. I n anot her case, she developed art icles for Scient ific Am erican and The Daily Telegraph about t he pot ent ial disast er of t he Y2K com put er problem aft er reading t he com p.soft ware.year- 2000 newsgroup. ( Read m ore about Grossm an's use of newsgroups in our int erview wit h her on page 163 in t his chapt er.) [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

What to Do With the Information The chief com plaint am ong cust om ers of Web m onit oring services seem s t o be a feeling of being flooded wit h inform at ion and an inabilit y t o know what t o do wit h it . The e- m ail report s generat ed by a CyberAlert or an eWat ch should probably be direct ed at a st aff m em ber who has som e t im e t o review t hem regularly t o decide what , if anyt hing, needs t o be addressed. Those clippings about how your com pany has sponsored t he annual walk for breast cancer can probably be filed for t he next t im e you want t o publicize your public service. Any newsgroup post ing t hat reveals a report er seeking help wit h a st ory can be addressed easily enough wit h an e- m ail t o t he report er in which you offer t o be of assist ance. ( Most t im es, however, report ers will probably m onit or groups passively and not announce t heir part icipat ion wit h a post ing.) Sim ilarly, t he PR person for Krispy Krem e would be wit hin his or her right s t o cont act gURL.com t o rem ind t he sit e's operat ors t hat Krispy Krem e sells a variet y of different doughnut s. What should be done wit h t he post ings in which an anonym ous person wit h a bizarre and oft en vulgar pseudonym is m aking awful and false st at em ent s about t he m ent al capacit y of your CEO? I n m ost cases we'd urge caut ion before engaging t hose who post com m ent s online in discussions. Corporat e represent at ives are oft en not well received in m any newsgroups where part icipant s are m ade uncom fort able and som et im es host ile by t he feeling t hat t hey are being wat ched. People are ent it led t o t heir right t o free speech, aft er all, and m uch of what is ut t ered in discussion groups am ount s t o opinion. I n t he rare cases in which you believe a post ing is a deliberat e dist ort ion int ended t o deflat e t he com pany's st ock or ot herwise inj ure it s reput at ion, we suggest t alking t o your at t orney about how t o proceed. Public com panies need t o be part icularly careful because SEC disclosure regulat ions require com panies t o publicize what ever t hey m ight divulge in an I nt ernet discussion group, which m eans t hat your response m ight get m ore at t ent ion t han t he original I nt ernet post ing and give inst ant legit im acy t o t he t opic t hat a crit ic has raised. What is t rue of negat ive newsgroup post ings is also t rue of negat ive Web sit es of t he chasesucks.com variet y. Any kind of " cease and desist " m essage you send is likely t o be post ed t o t he sit e as a rallying cry for m ore public support . A bet t er t act ic m ight be t o review t he sit e for evidence of why it was founded. Did t he founder have a part icular negat ive experience wit h your com pany? I s t here anyt hing your com pany can offer t he founder as fair com pensat ion for t hat experience? A quiet resolut ion will probably serve your com pany bet t er t han an ant agonist ic approach t hat all but guarant ees press at t ent ion and m ore t raffic t o t he Web sit e in quest ion. I f you decide t hat t he dam age caused by a Web sit e owner or m essage board post er far out weighs t he cost of a legal bat t le, t here are ways t o t rack down t he offenders. The Whois dat abase of dom ain nam es is adm inist ered by Net work Solut ions and accessible t hrough net worksolut ions.com . I t will provide you wit h t he nam e and cont act inform at ion t hat was provided when a dom ain nam e was paid for. A check of t hat dat abase reveals, for exam ple, t hat t he infam ous chasesucks.com dom ain is now in t he hands of Chase Manhat t an Bank. Ot her com panies, such as t he I nt ernet Crim es Group I nc. of Princet on, New Jersey, can assist you in ident ifying t he real nam es of m essage board cont ribut ors who oft en hide behind fict it ious screen nam es.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Manipulating Message Boards I f m essage boards are powerful forum s for affect ing how people t hink about a com pany or it s brands, t hen you are probably wondering how you m ight use t hem proact ively—rat her t han react ively in response t o crit icism s or at t acks. Not surprisingly, som e sm art colleagues in public relat ions have already gone down t his road wit h som e success. Am ong t hem is Helen Donlon of Art s PR & Publicit y I nt ernat ional, a book publicist in Great Brit ain, who has been sure t o com m unicat e wit h newsgroups devot ed t o m usic st ars prior t o t he publicat ion of books about t hose st ars. " I would highly recom m end it t o anyone," says Donlon, who has used newsgroups t o prom ot e books about Bob Dylan, Tom Jones, ABBA, and Queen. Donlon says she is always wary of int ruding on t he newsgroup's discussion so she t ypically begins her post ings by t yping " for anyone int erest ed . . . " and always includes her e- m ail address so people can follow up wit h her out side t he newsgroup. She says she offered early review copies of books t o newsgroup cont ribut ors and succeeded in get t ing som e well- writ t en reviews t hat were ready for dist ribut ion on t he day t he book was published. " We got a com m endat ion for our ABBA biography from a 'leading fan' who is t he well- respect ed ( in t he ABBA com m unit y) host of an Aust ralian Weblist ," Donlon wrot e in an e- m ail int erview. " His com m endat ion for our book was priceless. Fans are oft en t he harshest crit ics about books on t heir heroes aft er all, so get t ing his seal of approval was vit al! " Several m arket ing agencies in t he Unit ed St at es have also recognized t he pot ent ial in prom ot ing posit ive m ent ions of a client in online forum s and are offering a service known as " newsgroup seeding." Am ong t he pract it ioners is Liquid Advert ising, based in Pacific Palisades, California, which offers t he service am ong it s m enu of " online covert operat ions." CEO Will Akerlof says Liquid Advert ising em ploys college int erns t o generat e buzz in newsgroups prim arily on behalf of client s in t he ent ert ainm ent indust ry like FX Net works, Universal St udios, and Fandango. " You have t o hire people who are int elligent and know how t o use newsgroups well," he says. Akerlof says Liquid Advert ising will ident ify which newsgroups are of int erest t o t he t arget audience for a m ovie or TV show and it s int erns will t hen post t o t hose groups using t he lingo t hat is appropriat e. He not es, for exam ple, t hat int erns m ight t ry t o prom ot e a m ovie like The Fast and t he Furious in newsgroups relat ed t o st reet racing. " They really have t o be fluent in t he pat ois of what 's being discussed." Aware of t he possible negat ive react ion t o com m ercially driven com m ent s, t he int erns usually do not ident ify t hem selves as Liquid Advert ising em ployees, he says. Frequent ly t hey will say t hey are college st udent s who are working on a proj ect , he says, and t heir request s for inform at ion are generally well received by ot her newsgroup part icipant s. " I t 's a very inexpensive way t o get quit e a lot of m arket research very quickly," he says. Post s t o newsgroups should be short , he says. " I t hink you'd get a lot m ore people upset by post ing press releases," he says. Akerlof says newsgroup seeding m ight not be appropriat e for all kinds of product s or

services. " No one really want s t o discuss t heir favorit e laundry det ergent or t oot hpast e," he says. Ot her highly specialized newsgroups relat ed t o a part icular car m odel, for exam ple, are m ore likely t o recognize a com m ercially m ot ivat ed m essage and respond in a host ile way t o t he com pany or product being prom ot ed. Anot her drawback for seeding, he says, is t he difficult y of calculat ing t he ret urn on t he invest m ent . The newsgroup m essages are m eant t o generat e buzz and not inspire t he im m ediat e sale of som et hing on an e- com m erce sit e, he not es. Liquid Advert ising has had som e success in count ing page views of a part icular URL t hat it has prom ot ed in newsgroup post ings, but long, t rackable unique URLs like t hose used in m any e- m ail newslet t ers are not appropriat e in a newsgroup post ing t hat is supposed t o appear inform al and wit hout com m ercial m ot ive. Nevert heless, Akerlof predict s great er usage of newsgroup seeding in t hose areas where buzz is deem ed im port ant . One such area m ight be t he polit ical arena, he says, not ing t he benefit s t hat m ight be achieved by a polit ical cam paign t hat m akes sure part icipant s in a newsgroup devot ed t o environm ent al concerns or gun cont rol are aware of a candidat e's views on t hose t opics. Ent ert ainm ent com panies will also cont inue t o use t he t ool, he says, explaining how dozens of newsgroups can be ident ified as places t o prom ot e every new m ovie based on t he act ors involved, t he direct or, t he art ist s on t he soundt rack, and t he subj ect m at t er of t he m ovie. As vet eran users of t he I nt ernet , we should int erj ect here t hat we see newsgroup seeding as a pot ent ially t roubling way t o prom ot e your client 's int erest s. Newsgroups hist orically have been t he region of t he I nt ernet wit h t he st rongest aversion t o com m ercial m essages, so t here is great danger of exposing your client t o a nast y backlash. Making full disclosure of who you are and who you represent m akes t he m ost sense t o us, as it prot ect s you from having t hat fact discovered at som e point during t he discussion t o discredit you or crit icize your client . I t is probably t rue t hat ent ert ainm ent - relat ed fan sit es used by Donlon and Liquid Advert ising are m ost accept ing of m arket ing m essages and good result s like t he book reviews solicit ed by Donlon can be achieved. However, be careful t o do your hom ework and t o t est t he wat er before diving in. I n our next chapt er, we t alk about how your st rat egies for helping your client s cope wit h em ergencies should include use of t he I nt ernet .

PR INTERVIEW: David Dunne of Edelman's Interactive Solutions David Dunne is puzzled by t he relat ively sm all size of t he Web m onit oring business. He has an int erest in prom ot ing it becuase he is execut ive vice president and direct or of operat ions for Edelm an I nt eract ive Solut ions, which includes t he agency's I - Wire I nt ernet m onit oring service. However, Dunne is j ust befuddled by t he overall lack of int erest in m onit oring services, whet her t hey're offered by Edelm an, CyberAlert , eWat ch, or anyone else. " I t 's j ust as im port ant t hat people are m onit oring online as it is offline,"

says Dunne, not ing t hat PR people have always seen value in collect ing clippings of newspapers and ot her publicat ions. List ening t o what is said online can provide PR people and t heir client s wit h " early warning" of problem s wit h t heir product s or services. " I t 's a great vehicle for get t ing t hat kind of feedback," he says. " The I nt ernet is t he only place where people are int eract ing and speaking t o each ot her," he adds. " I t 's an inst ant barom et er of how people are feeling." Anyone who quest ions t he power of t he I nt ernet t o cause problem s for t hem or t heir brands should invest igat e t he t rem endous online success of Greenpeace, Dunne says. He not es t hat t he group has closed m any of it s physical offices because it has used t he I nt ernet so effect ively t o get it s m essages out and t o wage cam paigns against com panies t hat it believes are hurt ing t he environm ent . " Greenpeace and ot her NGOs [ nongovernm ent al organizat ions] earned a place at t he t able and com panies know t hey can't ignore t hem ," Dunne says. Dunne says t hat m any client s seem t o be int erest ed in online m onit oring aft er a crisis has begun and t hey want t o know how well t heir com pany or brand is recovering. Frequent ly, t hey will suspend t he online m onit oring unt il t he next crisis arises, never realizing t hat consist ent m onit oring m ight help t hem avoid crises in t he first place. " I f com panies are in t he m arket place, t hey really have a responsibilit y t o t hem selves and t heir st akeholders t o know what people are saying about t heir brands," Dunne says. " Every t im e we m onit or for a brand or a com pany we are pleasant ly surprised by t he dept h of t he dat a we can produce," Dunne says, not ing part icular successes in m onit oring for Apple Com put er I nc. He recalls how t he int roduct ion of t he iMac sparked a lot of discussion in Apple- relat ed discussion groups about t he init ial lim it ed choice of color opt ions. " We found enorm ous brand vibrat ions in t hat chat t er," he recalls, not ing t hat som e discussion part icipant s were recruit ed t o advise Apple on fut ure product developm ent . Dunne says he generally recom m ends m onit oring discussions passively t o keep t rack of what is being said, but Edelm an has occasionally urged client s t o becom e involved in t he discussion. I n one case, he says, engineers at a soft ware com pany ent ered a discussion group and com m unicat ed wit h cust om ers about a pat ch t hat t hey had developed for a bug in t heir com pany's soft ware. I n t he odd case in which t he client prefers t hat Edelm an post t o a newsgroup, Dunne says, t he PR represent at ives are very careful t o ident ify t hem selves. " We have not hing t o gain by being cut e and everyt hing t o lose," he says. I f a cont ribut or t o a discussion group is unfairly at t acking t he act ions of a com pany, Edelm an m ight advise t he com pany t o respond wit h a brief, sim ple m essage like " For t he real fact s, click here." That m essage should be linked t o a Web page where t he com pany can refut e t he crit icism s in great er det ail, he says. Being up front and t ransparent is essent ial, Dunne says, if t he PR indust ry is t o avoid feeling t he backlash from a public t hat will ult im at ely realize t hat som e PR people are secret ly influencing online discussion in favor of t heir

client s. " The people who are engaged in t hat give t he ent ire indust ry a bad reput at ion," he says. Dunne acknowledges t hat t he flow of inform at ion from m onit oring vendors like eWat ch can be heavy, but he urges com panies t o m aint ain t heir m onit oring effort s even in difficult econom ic t im es. Having a long- t erm relat ionship wit h a m onit oring service allows a com pany t o refine t he keywords it uses so t hat t he result s are closely on t arget wit h what t he com pany seeks. Full- t im e m onit oring also enables com panies t o becom e aware of post ings before t hey spark PR crises. Wit h cost s of about $1,000 a m ont h for som e services, " t hat 's a lease paym ent on a car for an execut ive," he says. An analysis service like Edelm an's cost s m ore, but t he ret urn on t hat invest m ent can be " pot ent ially priceless," he says, not ing t hat client s receive insight s t hat enable t hem t o react early t o changes in t he m arket .

MEDIA INTERVIEW: Wendy M. Grossman, Freelance Writer Wendy M. Grossm an is a vet eran j ournalist and I nt ernet user who has writ t en t wo books about t he worldwide net work, net .wars ( NYU Press, 1998) and From Anarchy t o Power: The Net Com es of Age ( NYU Press, 2001) . I t is safe t o say t hat she probably knows m ore about newsgroups and ot her online discussion forum s t han m ost ot her pract icing report ers. Her advice t o PR people is t o st ay t uned t o what 's happening in t hese online m eet ing places. Grossm an recalls writ ing a review of a book by French t ennis player Nat halie Tauziat for Tennis Magazine because she found out about t he book's fort hcom ing release t hrough a post ing on t he rec.sport .t ennis newsgroup. " At t he t im e no one knew about it and I wouldn't have heard about it ot herwise," Grossm an not es. Having early knowledge was im port ant , she says, because t he book ult im at ely cam e out only in French and around t he t im e of t he French Open and Tauziat did not want t o be dist ract ed from her gam e. " I t 's all in m y book," she t old ot her report ers. " Read m y book." Anot her Usenet newsgroup called com p.soft ware.year- 2000 helped Grossm an in her report ing on t he pending disast er t hat was forecast due t o t he inabilit y of crit ically im port ant com put er syst em s t o correct ly dist inguish bet ween 1900 and 2000. Her art icles were published in Scient ific Am erican and The Daily Telegraph . Despit e such successes, Grossm an does not advise report ers t o slog t hrough count less newsgroups in hopes of finding st ories j ust wait ing t o be writ t en. I nst ead, she says, newsgroups can be a good way t o becom e educat ed about unfam iliar t opics about which t hey hope t o writ e. " My recom m endat ion would be t hat you pick a couple of relevant newsgroups and skim t hrough t he last few weeks of post ings," she says, not ing for exam ple, t hat fan newsgroups are part icularly useful libraries of inform at ion for celebrit y profiles. " Doing t hat should give you a feel for who

t he group's regulars are, and t hen you can e- m ail t hem privat ely. You can, of course, post t o t he newsgroup, but you will get bet t er responses if you can show t hat you've done your hom ework already—i.e., read som e of t he newsgroup, underst and what t opics it covers, et c." Grossm an also urges report ers and PR people int erest ed in newsgroups t o review t he FAQs if t he group m aint ains such a file. " I f you're t rying t o com e t o grips wit h an unfam iliar t echnology—fishkeeping, how t o t ake apart and clean your VCR, crypt o—oft en t hose FAQs are an excellent int roduct ion," she says. " I f you do use a newsgroup for research, you should always read t he FAQ before you st art asking quest ions—it 's rude t o ask t he regulars t o explain st uff t hey've already explained t housands of t im es, and it m akes you look like you're t oo st upid t o t alk t o." PR people who are willing t o plow t hrough a lot of useless post ings are likely t o com e up wit h " a feel for what people and cust om ers are t hinking about your com pany," Grossm an not es, but she urges caut ion before engaging in t he online discussion. " No one can st op you from reading and saying not hing," she says. " But if you st art post ing, t he t em pt at ion m ay be t o pret end t hat you have no connect ion and you're a disint erest ed t hird part y. Resist t his t em pt at ion. St at e up front who you are and what you do. You will get som e flak from people who see you as a handy t arget —but people on Usenet t end t o see very quickly t hrough PR effort s m asquerading as genuine vox pop, and if you t ry t o go t hat rout e you will be despised." A PR person who is honest wit h t he newsgroup and st ill receives a sm all num ber of negat ive com m ent s should not be discouraged, Grossm an says. " Once you becom e a fam iliar face, t he vit riol will m ost ly pass." [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 11. New Tools for Crisis Management PR professionals recognize t he value of t he I nt ernet in a crisis sit uat ion. The I nt ernet allows leaders t o be direct and t he public t o be well inform ed. The I nt ernet enables com panies t o respond quickly t o negat ive publicit y. Crisis Web sit es should be developed before a crisis occurs. As com m unicat ors, you've always concent rat ed on dissem inat ing t im ely and credible inform at ion t o inform t he public, m old percept ions, and build st ronger im ages for your com panies or client s. The use of t he I nt ernet has helped enorm ously t o build relat ionships, increase t he frequency of com m unicat ion, and enhance t he t arget ed reach t o t hose who need t o hear a com pany's m essage. The earlier chapt ers of t his book were m eant t o inst ruct and inform on t he m any st rat egies t hat are being em ployed t o im sprove com m unicat ions via t he I nt ernet during " norm al" t im es or what 's considered t he scope of usual business act ivit ies. However, one area t hat we have not t ouched on is t he uncert aint y of com m unicat ion when a crisis st rikes and how im perat ive it is t o act wit hin a short t im e fram e. Many com m unicat ors agree t hat t here's only a 12- hour window t o influence press coverage and public opinion when t ragedy or crisis st rikes. Our definit ion of crisis is fairly broad, encom passing any event t hat prom ises t o have a significant negat ive im pact on your com pany or client —ranging from t he discovery of account ing errors in financial st at em ent s t o a CEO's indict m ent t o a large t ragedy on t he scale of a plane crash or t he t errorist at t acks of Sept em ber 11, 2001. I n each of t hose cases, cust om ers, em ployees, and st ockholders look t o t he com panies involved for answers, evidence of leadership, and a sign t hat t here is a plan for get t ing back t o " business as usual." I n decades past , it was com m only t hought t hat crisis m anagem ent plans were only needed in cert ain indust ries, such as t ransport at ion or m anufact uring, where accident s were m ost likely t o occur. However, a long list of fact ors—including everyt hing from product t am pering t o product recalls t o financial shenanigans t o workplace violence—has changed all t hat . No business can feel t ot ally secure t hat it will not be inundat ed t om orrow wit h inquiries from t he m edia and t he public about som e event or accusat ion affect ing it s com pany, indust ry, or geographic area. Plans for m anaging t hese crises need t o be based around t he need t o get inform at ion out quickly t o your em ployees, t heir fam ilies, your cust om ers, your st ockholders, and t he news m edia. By t his point in t he book, it should not be t oo surprising t hat we t hink t he I nt ernet is an ext rem ely im port ant weapon in your crisis m anagem ent arsenal. I n t he sam e way t hat t he I nt ernet deserves close at t ent ion for it s abilit y t o spread negat ive inform at ion like wildfire, it can be used t o spread posit ive inform at ion quickly about how your com pany is handling a given crisis. E- m ailed press releases can reach large num bers of report ers in a fract ion of t he t im e it would t ake t o m ake phone calls or

fax out releases. Web sit es, m eanwhile, can be built in advance of a crisis and " t urned on" quickly t o educat e report ers, em ployees, st ockholders, and ot hers about t he com pany and t he st eps it is t aking t o respond t o event s. Building your crisis m anagem ent st rat egy around t he I nt ernet m akes sense for m any reasons, including t hese: The decent ralized nat ure of t he net work pret t y m uch guarant ees it will funct ion even in t im es of t ragedy when t elephone syst em s m ight be inaccessible due t o t rem endous dem and in t he local area. The accessibilit y of t he I nt ernet m akes it t he perfect place for post ing a clear st at em ent of t he com pany's com m unicat ions obj ect ives for senior execut ives and ot her em ployees who m ust st ay focused on t he m essage in difficult t im es. The I nt ernet offers t he abilit y t o com m unicat e direct ly t o em ployees, cust om ers, and st ockholders in a t im ely fashion wit h up- t o- t he- m inut e updat es if necessary. The I nt ernet provides t he t im eliest m et hod t o m onit or public com m unicat ion and m edia coverage t o gauge react ion t o your m essage and m ake necessary m odificat ions. Readers who were in t he New York Cit y area on Sept em ber 11, 2001 can probably offer t heir own t est im ony about t he survivabilit y of t he I nt ernet . The at t acks on t he World Trade Cent er caused widespread problem s as people encount ered difficult ies in t rying t o get a dial t one on t heir hard- wired or wireless t elephones. Alt hough it becam e nearly im possible t o place calls, it was possible for people wit h DSL access or cable m odem s or dedicat ed connect ions in t heir offices t o get ont o t he I nt ernet t o seek sources of inform at ion. Our second bullet ed point could be sum m arized as " I nt ernet as t eleprom pt er." I n a t im e of crisis, it is im port ant t o coordinat e a com pany- wide response t hat can be followed by execut ives and ot her em ployees who m ight be int erviewed at facilit ies around t he count ry or around t he globe. Using an int ranet sit e or a " secret " URL on t he public I nt ernet t o post your com m unicat ions st rat egy provides everyone wit h a docum ent t o which t hey can refer t o keep t hem selves " on m essage." The I nt ernet 's abilit y t o change by t he m inut e is clearly a st rengt h in a t im e of crisis and offers you t he abilit y t o let em ployees, em ployees' fam ilies, cust om ers, st ockholders, and report ers keep up wit h t he lat est news from you while you keep up wit h t heir lat est art icles or broadcast s. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Plan Now Com panies and t heir PR represent at ives need t o be t hinking now about how t hey will respond t o a crisis. Their responses will probably be very different depending on whet her t hey're react ing t o a fact ory explosion t hat t hreat ens t he lives of workers and nearby resident s or t o a financial audit t hat raises quest ions about t he validit y of past earnings report s. Such scenarios need t o be worked t hrough, so t hat everyone on t he PR t eam knows what needs t o happen when t he crisis occurs. Som e elem ent s will be com m on t o all responses and should be prepared in advance. For exam ple, a crisis is likely t o at t ract t he int erest of report ers who are less fam iliar wit h your com pany t han t hose who cover t he com pany on a regular basis. This m eans t hat a good, solid background on t he com pany's hist ory, it s businesses, and it s reput at ion should be front and cent er in any online resource area. A list of links t o local, st at e, and federal governm ent agencies can also be developed in advance of a crisis for easy reference when you want t o direct Web sit e visit ors t o t he Federal Em ergency Managem ent Agency, Environm ent al Prot ect ion Agency, or what ever agency is involved in your crisis. An FAQ file can be an im port ant elem ent t hat allows you t o develop answers t o t he quest ions t hat you ant icipat e from report ers and ot hers. I t should save you from answering t he sam e quest ions repeat edly and free up som e t im e for you t o gat her and m onit or all inform at ion t hat is report ed and dissem inat ed by t he m edia. However, t his is not , by any m eans, t o say t hat t he I nt ernet replaces t he hum an cont act . The I nt ernet is a buffer zone, which m akes it easier on t he CEO or t he public relat ions t eam , but t he CEO m ust st ill show leadership by being present and accessible. The bot t om line: professionals st ill need t o be available t o personally answer quest ions t hat m ust be addressed especially t hose quest ions t hat ext end beyond a com pany's Web sit e crisis area. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Lessons from 9/11 The t ragic event s of Sept em ber 11, 2001 again provide us wit h solid exam ples of how t he I nt ernet can be used effect ively in t im e of crisis. As a first st ep, m any com panies post ed news st at em ent s on t heir Web sit es t o address t he disast er. These st at em ent s com m unicat ed a com pany's im m ediat e act ions and kept t he public inform ed as t hese announcem ent s were frequent ly updat ed. For inst ance, we saw m any of t he following t ypes of st at em ent s: " XYZ com pany is doing everyt hing possible t o det erm ine t he dam ages t o our com pany in New York Cit y." Ot her st at em ent s addressed t he num ber of people in a part icular com pany who were in t he World Trade Cent er working at t he t im e of t he t errorist at t ack. Num erous com panies im m ediat ely set fort h a st rong st at em ent from a CEO or chairm an of t he board t hat focused on t heir concern, t heir t hought s, and t heir prayers for every fam ily who had a loved one unaccount ed for at t he t im e. I n t he days following t he at t acks, m any com panies released inform at ion on a daily basis in t he form of a news release. These releases st ressed t he anguish over em ployee losses and t he concern for t hose whose whereabout s were unknown. Finally, news releases offered counseling inform at ion for em ployees, fam ily m em bers, and friends of t hose affect ed by t he disast er. Of course, news releases were not t he only m et hod t o keep up- t o- dat e inform at ion available at a t im e when so m any ot her channels of com m unicat ions were not in proper working order. The int eract ive nat ure of t he I nt ernet shone t hrough bright ly, providing people wit h an opport unit y t o com m unicat e wit h one anot her about t heir experiences, t heir fears, and t heir prayers. Many shared inform at ion about how ot hers online could donat e m oney and blood. One com pany in part icular st ands out for t he m anner in which it used t he Web for crisis m anagem ent . Sandler O'Neill & Part ners, L.P. cert ainly was not looking for any t ype of recognit ion when it developed it s Fam ily Support sit e on it s com pany Web sit e ( t o view t he Sandler O'Neill Fam ily Support sit e go t o sandleroneill.com , t hen click on t he left - hand navigat ion but t on, Fam ily Support ) . From t he looks of t he sit e, it did not t ake Sandler O'Neill long t o see t hat it was im perat ive t o com m unicat e im m ediat ely, even prior t o t he confirm at ion of t he loss of 66 em ployees of t he com pany. On t he Web sit e, Sandler O'Neill referred t o t hese individuals as it s part ners, colleagues, and friends. There's a com binat ion of reasons t his sit e was so effect ive: Ea sy fu n ct ion a lit y: I n a crisis, no one want s t o be clicking around endlessly for inform at ion. The sim ple left - hand navigat ion bar cont ained im port ant but t ons, clearly m arked for easy access t hat led t o crit ical inform at ion. Exam ples of t hese but t ons include Cont inuing Counseling, Office of t he Chief Medical Exam iner, Donat ion I nform at ion, Sandler O'Neill Assist ance Foundat ion, Mem orial Service I nform at ion, Press Releases, and News Coverage. Upda t e d in for m a t ion : The Web sit e is visibly docum ent ed wit h it s m ost recent updat e ( e.g., " Last Updat ed: Wednesday, May 29 t h at 10: 00 AM EDT" ) . For exam ple, on May 29, 2002, t he Web sit e let t he fam ilies of Sandler O'Neill em ployees know abut t he May 30 World Trade Cent er cerem onies. Prom inent ly displayed was inform at ion on t he t im es t hat t he viewing areas were open, t he

locat ion of fam ily ent rances, as well as t he det ails for a June 2, 2002 gat hering and m ass. For t h r igh t st a t e m e n t s a n d e a r ly a n sw e r s: Sandler O'Neill was quick t o m ove forward wit h st at em ent s regarding com pany losses, direct ion of com pany operat ions, cont inuing fam ily out reach program s, act ive search program s for m issing em ployees, and announcem ent s of t he com pany's int ent ion t o " open" for business wit hin t he first several days aft er t he at t ack. Such st at em ent s are part icularly useful t o t he news m edia t hat are seeking inform at ion port als t o guide t hem wit h t heir coverage of t he crisis. I n addit ion, em ployees, fam ilies, and m any ot her groups connect ed t o Sandler O'Neill relied on t he released inform at ion on a daily basis. On e ch a n n e l a n d on e voice : Alt hough com pany officials always m ust be available in a crisis, it appears t hat t he Sandler O'Neill Web sit e was a st rong com m unicat ion vehicle t hat housed inform at ion clearly enough t o answer m any of t he daily crisis quest ions. The Web sit e t ruly com m unicat ed a sense of calm , direct ion, and confidence on behalf of t he com pany. The m at erial released via t he Web sit e was well coordinat ed and cont rolled in a sit uat ion t hat was one of t he m ost chaot ic in Am erican hist ory. The Sandler O'Neill sit e spoke of credibilit y and concern and act ed as a single spokesperson t hat com m unicat ed a unit ed com pany front from t he CEO t o t he senior execut ives t o t he rest of t he com pany. N e w s cove r a ge m a de sim ple a n d a cce ssible : On t he Sandler O'Neill sit e, it was evident t hat PR professionals were busy searching for any t ype of m edia coverage t hat m ent ioned t he com pany. The m edia coverage varied from t he op- ed cont ribut ion t it led, " The Dam aged Spirit of t he Sept em ber 11 Fund" in The New York Tim es and t he Fort une cover st ory " St art ing Over" t o t he 60 Minut es int erview on CBS t hat discussed how Sandler O'Neill would t ake t he necessary st eps forward t o rebuild it s com pany. Sandler O'Neill m ade it ext rem ely easy for all of t he st akeholders of t he com pany t o follow t he posit ive com m unicat ion t o build hope and fait h in a successful plan t hat would rebuild t he firm . Unit ed Airlines' use of t he I nt ernet in it s response t o t he event s of Sept em ber 11 has also been well chronicled. John Kiker, Unit ed's vice president of worldwide com m unicat ions, t old t he Holm es Report how t he airline worked wit h Fleishm anHillard t o react quickly t o t he hij ackings and dest ruct ion of t wo of it s planes—one at t he World Trade Cent er and one in Pennsylvania. Kiker said t hat Unit ed put it s crisis plan int o effect wit h 40 t o 50 of his st affers handling phones in a crisis cent er t o respond t o m edia inquiries. Ot her st affers canceled t he airline's scheduled advert isem ent s and st ill ot hers were det ailed t o em ployee com m unicat ions, which involved sending e- m ail and voice m ail t o a workforce of 100,000 t hat includes m ore t han 30,000 pilot s and flight at t endant s not sit uat ed in an office set t ing. He said Fleishm an- Hillard concent rat ed on m onit oring m edia report s so t hat Unit ed could at t em pt t o correct any incorrect report s. Kiker t old t he Holm es Report t hat he believes t he t hree Cs are im port ant t o crisis m anagem ent : com passion, cooperat ion, and cont act . " We have t o show our com passion for t he fam ilies of t he vict im s," he said. " We also have t o m ake t he point t hat we are cooperat ing wit h t he relevant aut horit ies, which in m ost cases m eans t he FAA, but in t his case included t he FBI ," he not ed. " Finally, we have t o m ake sure t hat people know how t o cont act us, and where t hey can go for t he lat est inform at ion."

Unit ed's Web sit e played a key role in get t ing inform at ion out t o t he m edia and t o em ployees and t he fam ilies of passengers. The com pany's press release archive shows it issued six releases in a period of less t han seven hours on Sept em ber 11. Em ail and t he ual.com Web sit e helped bring t he releases t o t housands of people. Each st at em ent included a quot e from CEO Jam es Goodwin, who was also involved in com m unicat ing wit h t he airline's em ployees and wit h fam ilies of t he crash vict im s. Each st at em ent dom inat ed a sim ple black- and- whit e Web page, free of it s usual links about t icket sales. The only links on t he page were t o a list of ot her releases issued t hat day, fact sheet s about t he com pany and it s airplanes, and t he Web sit es of part ners such as Boeing. Am erican Airlines, which also lost t wo flight s on t hat t ragic day, t ook a sim ple approach t o t he design of it s crisis Web sit e. I t s hom e page at aa.com was sim ply t he t ext of a st at em ent from t he airline wit h links offered t o t he regular aa.com Web sit e and t o t he sit e of parent com pany AMR Corporat ion for Web visit ors seeking m ore inform at ion about t he day's event s. ( Copies of t he aa.com and ual.com sit es as t hey looked on Sept em ber 11, 2001 were available at web.archive.org t he last t im e we checked.) The event s of Sept em ber 11 had a less t ragic and m ore indirect im pact on Massachuset t s- based Dunkin' Donut s, which also provided a good dem onst rat ion of how t he I nt ernet could be used effect ively t o get t he com pany's m essage out quickly in a t im e of crisis. I t was only hours aft er t he t errorist at t acks on New York Cit y and Washingt on, DC, t hat e- m ails were flooding int o Dunkin' Donut s' corporat e offices. The e- m ails, by t he nat ure of t he allegat ion, were ext rem ely dam aging t o t he brand. Many of t he com plaint s inundat ing t he Dunkin' Donut s PR t eam st em m ed from an unverified incident in one of t he com pany's franchises in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. The unfounded com plaint st at ed t hat a U.S. flag was burned in celebrat ion of t he at t ack on t he Unit ed St at es. Anot her account relat ed t o anot her Dunkin' Donut s operat ion in a sm all t own in New Jersey where an Am erican flag was seen on t he floor wit h Arabic writ ing on it . The news was spreading quickly and e- m ails rallied support for an im m ediat e nat ionwide boycot t of Dunkin' Donut s. These e- m ails pleaded wit h any and all persons who pat ronized a Dunkin' Donut s franchise. The m essages urged Dunkin' Donut s' cust om ers not t o purchase anyt hing from t he com pany, as it was ant i- Am erican. I n addit ion, com plaint s also focused on how Dunkin' Donut s was not doing it s part t o help out at t he Ground Zero disast er sit e when m any ot her rest aurant s were providing police officers and firefight ers wit h food and drinks. Dunkin' Donut s recognized t hat it had t o count eract t he negat ive rum ors before it s business was seriously affect ed. Because t he I nt ernet was t he m ain source of t he allegat ions, t hat 's where Dunkin' Donut s began it s cam paign t o halt t he false allegat ions about t he com pany. Dunkin' Donut s began it s response by cont act ing t he Cedar Grove st ore t o quest ion t he owners and st ore em ployees and review video foot age of t he day's event s t o get t o t he bot t om of t he allegat ions. Approxim at ely 40 people were quest ioned in t he process t o find out t hat not one person could confirm t he act ual com plaint against t he com pany. As a m at t er of fact , Dunkin' Donut s' public relat ions firm did it s best t o get t o t he bot t om of t he incident by asking em ployees if t hey had seen t he incident as a first hand account . Apparent ly in t he effort t o uncover t he t rut h, all but t wo of t he quest ioned em ployees st at ed t hat t he account was not seen personally. There were t wo people who said t hey did wit ness t he alleged account but could not pinpoint or provide concret e inform at ion t o verify t he com plaint . Dunkin' Donut s' response t o t he rum ors t ook t he form of an e- m ail cam paign t hat was direct ed t oward all of t he individuals who originally cont act ed t hem regarding

t he supposed incident wit h a request for t hem t o forward on t he com pany's e- m ail t o anyone who t hey knew. The com pany's e- m ail not ed t hat during t im es of crisis it 's oft en difficult not t o react wit h em ot ion. I n fact , t he correspondence st ressed t hat people, in general, should be m ore sensit ive and conscious about persons of different races, cult ures, and religions. Dunkin' Donut s also t ook a very st rong st ance against t he alleged act ion, st at ing t hat t he com pany denounced any of t he act s report ed. I t wasn't long before m any of t he consum ers sent let t ers of apology t o Dunkin' Donut s. The com pany had successfully dem onst rat ed t hat it had t he know- how t o use t he I nt ernet as a quick and reliable source of com m unicat ion t o slow t he speed of t he rum ors on t he I nt ernet and event ually bring t he negat ive publicit y t o a halt . The Dunkin' Donut s incident and t he com pany's effect ive response t o it was writ t en about in The Wall St reet Journal, as was t he st ory of a m uch sm aller est ablishm ent beset by negat ive rum ors relat ed t o Sept em ber 11. The Sheik, a Middle East ern rest aurant in Orchard Lake, Michigan, unfort unat ely did not respond t o t he negat ive publicit y as effect ively aft er an e- m ail was circulat ed on Sept em ber 11 t hat st at ed t hat em ployees of t he rest aurant were cheering. The bot t om line was t hat Am ericans should cease business at The Sheik and t hat all Am ericans should forward t he e- m ail t o all of t heir cont act s. The owner of The Sheik t ried t o react quickly by t elephoning cust om ers t o rej ect t he allegat ions and by placing Am erican flags in t he windows of his rest aurant . He even went so far as t o ask his em ployees not t o speak in Arabic when in t he presence of cust om ers. However, t he e- m ail spread wit h far great er speed t han t he rest aurant owner could dial t he phone and business fell by m ore t han 50 percent before ult im at ely rebounding.

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[ Team LiB ]

A Quick Response As we not ed earlier, t he crises com panies face are not always on t he scale of t he Sept em ber 11 at t acks or t he crippling revelat ions from Enron and Worldcom in recent years. PR people also need t o be ready t o respond t o event s t hat carry t he t hreat of sim ple em barrassm ent . Such was t he case for a nort heast ern newspaper group t hat cosponsored a debat e am ong Congressional candidat es in recent years. Hours before t he well- publicized debat e am ong four candidat es for a Congressional seat in t he Nort heast , a fift h candidat e circulat ed a less- t han- flat t ering news release dem anding t o be included in t he event . The news release feat ured words like " disgrace" and " em barrassm ent " and included a t hreat t o cont act each of t he ot her four candidat es t o ask t hem t o wit hdraw from t he newspaper's debat e. The PR agency needed t o act quickly. The m edia was already e- m ailing wit h inquiries regarding t he debat e and t he em barrassing oversight . Quest ions and eyebrows were swift ly being raised wit h respect t o t he sit uat ion. The PR agency, in no t im e at all, draft ed an e- m ail st at em ent t hat addressed t he oversight and t he newspaper's regret over t he sit uat ion. The e- m ail was dist ribut ed t o all t he m edia represent at ives t hat were inquiring about t he incident . Next , t he PR agency reached out t o t he fift h candidat e im m ediat ely t o invit e him t o part icipat e in t he debat e. The fift h candidat e gladly accept ed t he invit at ion. Even aft er t he t ensions were eased bet ween t he newspaper group and t he fift h candidat e, crisis m anagem ent was not over. The PR agency realized by t he num ber of t elephone calls and e- m ails regarding t he sit uat ion t hat t he wildfire was st ill spreading on t he I nt ernet . The PR professionals began searching and m onit oring all I nt ernet com m unicat ion for st at em ent s regarding t he sit uat ion on various news Web sit es and polit ical port als. A num ber of Web sit es were crit icizing t he newspaper group even aft er t he sit uat ion was rect ified. However, t he beaut y of t he I nt ernet allows PR professionals t o alt er com m unicat ion quickly wit h updat ed post ings. The PR agency was able t o approach all of t he news out let s direct ly t hrough e- m ail t o com bat t he negat ive PR and t o provide t he out let s wit h t he current inform at ion t hat t hey could verify t hrough t he fift h candidat e's cam paign office. The e- m ail st at em ent was dist ribut ed t o all t he Web sit e edit ors along wit h anot her st at em ent updat ing t he sit uat ion t o let t he m edia out let s know t hat t he fift h candidat e received an invit at ion t o part icipat e. The PR agency was able t o m onit or sit e aft er sit e, and t hen see how t he inform at ion changed t o reflect t he current sit uat ion ( alt ering t he negat ive t o t he posit ive) . Years ago, t his t ype of quick reversal in a crisis sit uat ion would have been unheard of. This sit uat ion was back t o norm al wit hin a t wo- hour t im e fram e as a result of an effect ive e- m ail st at em ent and t he close m onit oring of com m unicat ion. The I nt ernet and t he quick t hinking of skilled professionals who act ed quickly in crisis- m anagem ent m ode were responsible for t he successful out com e.

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[ Team LiB ]

Planning a Crisis Site The exam ples previously cit ed regarding Sandler O'Neill, Unit ed Airlines, and Am erican Airlines illust rat e t he t rem endous value in using your com pany's Web sit e t o respond quickly t o a crisis. This m ight m ean having a plan t o address a m aj or event on t he hom e page wit hout affect ing t he overall appearance and funct ionalit y of t he rest of t he sit e. This is t he pat h t hat Worldcom chose in June 2002 when it disclosed m assive account ing irregularit ies. I t placed a black box on it s hom e page t hat cont ained links t o a press release and t o a Webcast of rem arks by CEO John Sidgm ore. The rest of t he hom e page cont inued t o feat ure links t o Worldcom 's service offerings, it s corporat e inform at ion, and career cent er. I n m any cases, however, your com pany m ight want t o follow t he airlines' m odel of Sept em ber 11 and plan t o have a crisis Web sit e t hat acknowledges t he severit y of a sit uat ion and indicat es t hat t he com pany is responding in a necessary fashion t o a fire, an explosion, a chem ical leak, a shoot ing ram page, and so on. Being proact ive in t he age of t he I nt ernet m eans having m ore t han a plan on paper. Act ual Web pages, known as ghost t em plat es should be creat ed so t hat t hey can be t urned on and m ade accessible on t he I nt ernet when crises occur. Som e solid principles for designing and im plem ent ing ghost t em plat es include t hese: PR professionals should est ablish a relat ionship wit h t he I T depart m ent before a crisis occurs. The design of t he crisis sit e should be predet erm ined. The I T depart m ent should be responsible for program m ing an adm inist rat ion area wit h prebuilt t em plat es. The prebuilt or ghost t em plat e should be designed by t he I T t eam and updat ed by t he PR t eam in accordance wit h t heir crisis plan. PR people should access t he prebuilt t em plat es t hrough a password- prot ect ed adm inist rat ive sect ion t o updat e t he crisis Web sit e daily. The dat a ent ered int o t he prebuilt t em plat e should be subm it t ed by t he PR person t o t he draft sit e. I T people can program t he draft Web sit e t o be secure so t hat inform at ion t ransm it t ed over t he I nt ernet is in an encrypt ed form at . A draft crisis sit e m irrors ( or is ident ical t o) t he live sit e and is used during t he preapproval process. We m ent ioned earlier in t he book t hat PR professionals m ust get acquaint ed wit h t heir I T depart m ent . When it com es t o crisis m anagem ent , it 's im perat ive t hat t he relat ionship is already in place before t he unexpect ed occurs. PR people need t o work wit h Web program m ers t o st art underst anding how a crisis Web sit e com es t o fruit ion. We spoke t o a few program m ers at different full- service agencies who all confirm ed t he sam e inform at ion and broke down t he process in laym an's t erm s. By

working closely wit h program m ers, PR professionals can use t heir crisis m anagem ent plans on t he I nt ernet m ore effect ively. I n our effort s t o obt ain fixed pricing for t he different t ypes of crisis Web sit es, various program m ers inform ed us t hat t hese sit es could range in price from $5,000 t o $50,000, depending on t he nat ure and scope of t he crisis and t he num ber of cat egories or areas of inform at ion on t he sit e. I n an effort t o det erm ine a price, t he first st ep is t o decide how m any cat egories are needed. For inst ance, a crisis sit e could have several cat egories including, but not lim it ed t o t he following ( see Figure 11- 1) : 1 . President 's or CEO's m essage— updat ed daily. 2 . Press releases— announcem ent s on behalf of t he com pany. 3 . News coverage— news on t he Web collect ed by t he PR t eam . 4 . Em ployee support sect ion— support inform at ion for all part ies involved in t he crisis. 5 . Em ergency cont act s— t elephone num bers and e- m ail addresses for furt her inform at ion. 6 . Ext ra cat egory— perhaps, t wo t o t hree ext ra cat egories depending on t he nat ure of t he crisis.

Figu r e 1 1 - 1 . Sch e m a t ic of Cr isis W e b Sit e . Flow ch a r t de sign e d by Vin n y Cozzi, PFS M a r k e yw yse .

These cat egories are considered t he first level because t hey are found on t he hom e page of t he crisis sit e ( usually on a navigat ion bar) . The subsequent level or levels would be t he cont ent in each of t he nam ed cat egories. The PR t eam has t o t hink about how a crisis in it s indust ry would affect t he com pany and design a Web sit e wit h as m any cat egories and levels as necessary t o m ake sure t hat t he m edia, em ployees, cust om ers, and shareholders can get t he inform at ion t hat t hey are seeking.

Aft er t he PR t eam select s t he sit e cat egories and designs a schem at ic of t he sit e's archit ect ure, it 's t im e for t he Web program m ers t o becom e involved. I t 's t heir j ob t o m ake sure t he sit e is as easy t o use as possible for bot h t he PR t eam updat ing t he sit e and t he public t hat logs on t o view t he inform at ion. The Web program m er creat es an adm inist rat ion sit e t hat cont ains all of t he t em plat es for cont ent input . The PR t eam ent ers all of t he crisis inform at ion int o prem ade form s or t em plat es. A ghost t em plat e is creat ed for each cat egory in t he sit e. For inst ance, in a News Coverage sect ion of a crisis Web sit e, t he Web program m ers m ight build a t em plat e t hat asks t he PR person t o ent er dat a in t he following fields: Tit le of art icle Dat e published Aut hor's nam e Brief descript ion of t he art icle Link t o art icle's Web sit e As illust rat ed by t he flowchart in Figure 11- 2, PR professionals can cont inuously updat e t he dat a by logging int o t he adm inist rat ion area, which is password prot ect ed and encrypt ed. This area allows t hem t o eit her ent er init ial inform at ion or updat e exist ing docum ent s. They can t hen choose t o m ake t he changes im m ediat ely on t he live sit e or m ake t hem only on a draft sit e t hat m ust be reviewed by a crisis t eam before t he changes can t ake effect on t he live sit e. The draft sit e is a valuable crisis m anagem ent t ool t hat enables t he PR t eam t o set t he cat egories in place and get t he Web sit e pages ready for t he cont ent t hat follows. What 's m ost im port ant is t hat t he PR t eam has full cont rol over t he st ruct ure of t he crisis sit e and over t he m echanism for updat ing and reviewing t he cont ent on it . Wit h all of t he discussion regarding crises and t he need t o provide quick and accurat e inform at ion t o t he public, you m ight be wondering what t ype of bandwidt h is necessary t o facilit at e up t o 10 t o 15 t im es t he norm al am ount of t raffic on a com pany's Web sit e. We spoke wit h I nt erland, I nc., a provider of Web host ing services for sm all t o m edium - sized businesses, and learned t hat m ost of it s service offerings offer unlim it ed bandwidt h should m ore be required during unusual circum st ances like an unexpect ed crisis. We suggest t hat you speak wit h your Web host ing service or your client 's service provider t o assure yourself t hat addit ional bandwidt h will be easy t o obt ain when t he unexpect ed occurs.

Figu r e 1 1 - 2 . Use r Ch oice Flow ch a r t . Flow ch a r t de sign e d by Vin n y Cozzi, PFS M a r k e yw yse .

We've only briefly t ouched on how building an online crisis m anagem ent sit e is helpful t o t he m edia. The m edia need t o find inform at ion t hat 's current and accurat e as t hey cover a crisis sit uat ion. The m anner in which t he m edia gat hers inform at ion has changed drast ically since t he incept ion of t he World Wide Web. One business report er, Joe Perone of The St ar- Ledger of Newark, New Jersey, has been writ ing for m ore t han 20 years. He's handled crises pre- and post - I nt ernet and shared wit h us his insight s on how t he I nt ernet is used effect ively by t he m edia. ( See our following int erview wit h Perone in t his chapt er.) I n our next chapt er, we discuss t he im port ance of m aking sure your online com m unicat ions plan is int egrat ed wit h your offline plan, and how im port ant it is t o t hread t oget her m any of t he st rat egies t hat we've discussed in t he chapt ers t hus far.

MEDIA INTERVIEW: Joe Perone

of The Star Ledger " Back in t he days of t he Johnson & Johnson Tylenol crisis, we were lucky if we had fax m achines," recalled Joe Perone, a business report er for The St ar- Ledger of Newark, New Jersey, and a 20- year vet eran in t he field of j ournalism . " We had inform at ion t ransm it t ed over t he wire, but it 's hardly what you could call inst ant aneous analyst report s," he explained. Perone was one of t he report ers who covered t he 1982 product t am pering crisis t hat left seven users of Ext ra- St rengt h Tylenol dead from cyanide poisoning. The m aj or difference he described bet ween t hen and now is t he I nt ernet . Perone gave a det ailed account of what it was like t o be a report er in t he early 1980s. He described his earlier days as a j ournalist as " so m uch slower . . . alm ost t he St one Age." One very im port ant point t hat he st ressed during t he int erview was t hat as t echnology advances, j obs change. Journalist s who are norm ally on t ight deadlines are expect ed t o handle m ore as a result of t he I nt ernet . Sim ply put , " We're working harder t o produce bet t er st ories." Perone described t he I nt ernet like t he early developm ent of t he Am erican railroad syst em . Using t his sim ile, he suggest ed t hat j ust as railroads were inst rum ent al t o Am erican indust ry, t he I nt ernet was crit ical t o m aking Am erica an inform at ion superpower. I n addit ion t o covering t he Johnson & Johnson crisis, Perone also report ed on t he 1984 Union Carbide chem ical leak in Bhopal, I ndia t hat killed nearly 4,000 people and disabled m any ot hers. " I f Union Carbide had t he I nt ernet at t he t im e of it s crisis," he st at ed, " t he com pany would have react ed m uch m ore quickly t han it did." Unfort unat ely, t he CEO wait ed t oo long, appearing indifferent t o t he public. I n t he case of Union Carbide, had execut ives in t he Unit ed St at es been given inform at ion in a t im ely fashion, t hey would have responded in kind. These are Perone's final words wit h regard t o how j ournalist s use t he Web in a crisis sit uat ion: Even t hough we have t he I nt ernet , t hat doesn't m ean t hat everyone knows how t o use it . The I nt ernet is t he great equalizer. I t 's cont inually changing, as are t he j ournalist s who use it . I n a crisis sit uat ion, j ournalist s don't solely rely on t he I nt ernet . They use bot h t he I nt ernet and t he t elephone for hum an cont act . Hum an cont act will never go away because you can't fax or e- m ail a relat ionship, especially during a crisis. Building t he relat ionship wit h t he m edia cert ainly helps before t he crisis st rikes. Chances are t hat if t here's a relat ionship in place, t he m edia will already know it 's dealing wit h a com pany t hat has proven it self t o be a st raight shoot er. Crisis m anagem ent is not an exact science, but t hat 's what separat es t he great inside PR t eam s from t he " clueless" ones.

I f a com pany doesn't have a good ear for reading t he public or t he invest m ent com m unit y, t hen it doesn't m at t er which com m unicat ion t ool it chooses.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 12. Integrating Your PR Strategies A client 's online and offline PR m essages need t o be consist ent in language, t one, and design. St rat egies can be int egrat ed wit hout t he need for a huge budget . I nt egrat ing t he I nt ernet int o your cam paign enhances feedback. Are t here any com m unicat ion plans or m arket ing cam paigns im plem ent ed by PR professionals t hat do not involve t he I nt ernet in som e m anner? I t would be unusual in t his day and age for a com pany not t o have a Web sit e of som e kind, an e- m ailed announcem ent , or even a Webcast of a m aj or announcem ent , but are t hese I nt ernet effort s t ruly int egrat ed wit h t he overall PR or m arket ing cam paign? I n our experience, t he answer t o t hat quest ion is t oo oft en no. Even in t hese early days of t he 21st Cent ury, we st ill see press releases issued wit h references t o Web sit e feat ures t hat are im possible t o locat e. Clearly, som eone wrot e t he release wit h t he expect at ion t hat t he support ing docum ent at ion would be online by t he t im e t he release was issued, but som et hing went wrong som ewhere. Som et im es a release will direct you t o t he front page of a com pany's sit e, where t here will be no clues of how t o find out m ore about t he news in t he release. Ot her t im es, a release will include a lengt hy URL like abccom pany.com / 2003/ announcem ent s/ cat egory/ product nam e.ht m l t hat appears t o be designed especially for t he announcem ent in quest ion, but produces a 404 error when you t ry t o connect t o t he page. The problem seem s t o be t hat t he PR people t oo frequent ly are not on t he sam e page as t he people in charge of a com pany's Web sit e. We argued st renuously in Chapt er 6 for st rong cooperat ion bet ween t he PR folks and t he Web sit e m anagers when it com es t o get t ing docum ent s placed quickly in online newsroom s. We'll reit erat e t hat plea here because close cooperat ion is so im port ant t o int egrat ed com m unicat ions. I f PR people are not confident t hat t he Web sit e m anagers will post docum ent s by a specified t im e, t hose docum ent s should not be prom ised by a cert ain t im e t o report ers, shareholders, and ot her const it uent s. Such prom ises risk creat ing a frust rat ing experience for your const it uent s and an em barrassing sit uat ion for your client . Beyond t he coordinat ion issues, PR people m ust t ake pains t o m ake sure t hey are including a consist ent m essage in t he m at erials t hey m ake available in paper- based press kit s, online press m at erials, m arket ing m at erials, and advert ising. Alt hough it is cert ainly okay—and oft en advisable—t o m odify a m essage t o get t he desired response from different m arket segm ent s, t he various effort s need t o fit t oget her int o a cohesive st rat egy. For exam ple, a com pany t hat knows it s Web sit e is m ost popular wit h it s youngest consum ers m ight accom pany a new product announcem ent wit h online gam es or cont est s. This is a good way t o leverage t he capabilit ies of t he I nt ernet , but care m ust be t aken t o ensure t hat t he online

feat ures have t he sam e look and feel t hat is included in ot her PR m at erials for t he product announcem ent . Whet her cam paign obj ect ives are m eant t o change an opinion, evoke an act ion, or increase awareness, t he m essages t hat t he PR t eam has st rat egically developed t hrough each of t he select ed channels m ust be consist ent in m eaning, carry t he sam e t one, and bear a design t hat looks and feels sim ilar t o t he ot her channels ut ilized. Through int egrat ion, t he channels m ust work t oget her wit h support ive com m unicat ion and collect ively creat e m ore of an im pact t o enhance t he com pany's m essages. Pepsi- Cola Com pany is an exam ple of a large com pany wit h num erous offline prom ot ions t hat are well int egrat ed wit h Pepsi's Web sit e (pepsi.com ) . Pepsi's st rat egy is t o creat e a connect ion wit h it s consum ers t hat can be st rengt hened by logging ont o t he com pany's Web sit e. I n 2002, t he soda m aker hit ched it self t o t he rising st ar of singer Brit ney Spears, connect ing it self t o a popular ent ert ainer and offering Spears' fans an opport unit y t o find out m ore about her concert t our. Early in t he year, Pepsi unveiled com m ercials st arring Spears for t he Super Bowl and t eam ed up wit h Yahoo! in a prom ot ion t hat asked Yahoo! m em bers t o log on t o t he Pepsi Web sit e t o vot e for t he best Spears' com m ercials. The com m ercials subsequent ly becam e part of a large area on t he Pepsi sit e devot ed t o Spears and her " Dream Wit hin a Dream Tour 2002," which offered everyt hing from concert dat es and locat ions t o a phot o album , e- cards, and a sweepst akes. A consum er who found Spears m ent ioned on a Pepsi bot t le cap or on a post er in a m usic st ore had no t rouble finding her when he or she arrived at t he Pepsi Web sit e. Oversized graphics on t he front page of t he sit e direct ed users t o Pepsi's various prom ot ions, which also included t he Aust in Powers film Goldm em ber and Maj or League Soccer in t he sum m er of 2002. Once inside t he Brit ney Buzz area, it was obvious t hat all of Pepsi's advert ising and prom ot ion behind Brit ney Spears and her relat ionship wit h t he com pany was consist ent right down t o t he graphics on t he sit e and t he fun spirit of t he cam paign. Pepsi showed us how offline and online prom ot ions int egrat e well. I t 's not hard t o im agine t hat Spears fans t hat m ight have heard about a new concert dat e in a radio or TV news report would have im m ediat ely checked t he Pepsi Web sit e for m ore inform at ion. Pursuing an int egrat ed st rat egy also helped Pepsi wit h it s obj ect ive of collect ing as m uch dat a as possible about it s audience and about Pepsi drinkers ( which ult im at ely leads t o building bet t er relat ionships) . By driving people t o t he Web sit e and asking t hem t o share inform at ion, Pepsi was report ed t o have com piled a list of m ore t han 500,000 e- m ail addresses. [ 1] [ 1]

Business 2.0 ( March 22, 2002) .

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Integration Tips Of course, we realize t hat not every com pany is Pepsi- Cola, nor does every com pany have t he abilit y t o build a Web sit e like Pepsi's World. However, we do believe t hat Pepsi has done several t hings right on it s Web sit e—m any of which can be em ulat ed even by t hose on a sm aller budget . They include t he following: Gr a ph ics: Graphics m ust be easily recognizable icons t o click on for m ore inform at ion. These graphics should resem ble t he visuals used in conj unct ion wit h ot her com m unicat ion channels. Con t a ct in for m a t ion : Having cont act inform at ion up front and available offers a Web visit or t he abilit y t o cont act a PR person t o ask quest ions or discuss quest ions t hat are not answered on a Web sit e. I n addit ion, com panies can creat e online form s for Web visit ors who want m ore inform at ion. The user can be asked t o fill out t he form and hit Subm it , and can t hen be cont act ed by a represent at ive of t he com pany who is equipped wit h m ore inform at ion. Form s t hat ask for dem ographic inform at ion of t he online visit ors along wit h t heir em ail addresses can end up as leads in t he com pany's dat abase. ( We t alk m ore in t he next chapt er about t he need t o disclose t o t he sit e's users what you are going t o do wit h t heir personal dat a.) Upda t e d FAQs: An updat ed file of FAQs is necessary t o reflect a com pany's current cam paign and t o possibly answer quest ions t hat are not covered by t he ot her com m unicat ion channels. Ba n n e r s: Banners can be shared bet ween cam paign sponsors t o illust rat e t he involvem ent of various com panies. Banners are easily recognizable and can be clicked on for m ore inform at ion t o enhance t he broad reach and involvem ent of m any part ies. N e w s r e le a se s: News release post ings can cert ainly offer updat ed inform at ion t o any part y ( not j ust t he m edia) int erest ed in t he m ost recent com pany news. La n gu a ge : The language used on t he Web sit e should cont ain t he sam e m essage and t one of t he language used in ot her channels, whet her it 's radio, t elevision, billboards, direct m ail, and so on. D e sign : Web sit e design is very im port ant t o capt ure an audience's at t ent ion wit h a design t hat is already visually recognizable and accept ed. I f t he design of t he sit e and t he overall look and feel on t he Web sit e are not fam iliar or do not m im ic what 's present ed in ot her com m unicat ion channels, audiences t end t o becom e confused and disint erest ed and t hey m ight not em brace t he com pany's com m unicat ion present ed on t he Web. D a t a : Com panies can t rack dat a regarding t he habit s of t heir visit ors on t he Web and analyze t hose num bers t o gauge t he am ount of int erest in a cam paign. They can also review user dem ographic inform at ion from a Web t racking report .

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Fitting Tools Together Having an int egrat ed PR cam paign m eans t hat each new t ool t hat you use m ust be carefully insert ed int o t he cam paign in a way t hat keeps t he look and feel of t he cam paign consist ent . This m eans t hat t he t ools we urged you t o im plem ent in earlier chapt ers ( online newsroom s, e- m ail pit ches, e- newslet t ers, Webcast s) should not be added t o a cam paign in a haphazard way j ust t o t ry t hem out or t o get your feet wet . The online newsroom , for exam ple, m ust be part of an int egrat ed st rat egy t o provide t he m edia and ot her groups wit h t he abilit y t o find answers t o t heir quest ions. Report ers who figure out t hat t he rost er of a com pany's t op execut ives list ed in it s online newsroom is out of dat e and t hat t he " lat est releases" are act ually a m ont h old are going t o have a low opinion of t he com pany and not becom e frequent users of t hat pressroom . At t he sam e t im e, PR people should not undercut t heir own effort s by t rying t o be t oo fancy wit h t he newsroom t echnology. I t is not recom m ended, for exam ple, t hat a press release offer a " sneak preview" of a new aut om obile m odel provided t hat t he report er has t he necessary password for a part icular area of a car m aker's Web sit e. Such t ricks m ight m ake som e chosen j ournalist s feel special, but t hey could also exclude busy j ournalist s from m aj or publicat ions who are reluct ant t o j um p t hrough hoops. They m ight t herefore give less ink t o your new car m odel t han t hey devot e t o t hose of your com pet it ors. Your m essage across all m edia needs t o be one of openness and accessibilit y. I f you go t o t he t rouble t o com m unicat e som et hing new and excit ing, use t he Web t o furt her prom ot e t he effort . Don't m ake it difficult for t he people who are int erest ed in publicizing som et hing on your behalf. Sim ilarly, t he e- m ail pit ches we recom m ended in Chapt er 7 and t he e- m ail newslet t ers we cham pioned in Chapt er 8 m ust be well int egrat ed wit h t he rest of your PR cam paign. Any logos or icons used in t he press release or newslet t er should be consist ent wit h t hose t he report er or consum er will find when he or she visit s your Web sit e. All verbal inform at ion m ust also be consist ent in t one and cont ent regardless of whet her it is in t he hard- copy press kit , in an e- m ail, in a newslet t er, or on t he Web sit e. You do not want inconsist encies t hat could be confusing t o report ers and consum ers and produce m ore quest ions for you t o answer. Rem em ber, your j ob is t o build relat ionships wit h people by helping t hem do t heir j obs m ore easily. One ot her t ool we recom m ended—t he crisis m anagem ent Web sit e—also m ust not be forgot t en in your int egrat ion effort s. You cannot creat e a ghost t em plat e for a crisis m anagem ent Web sit e and let it get dust y on a hard drive som ewhere. I t needs t o be updat ed regularly t o m ake sure t hat when it is needed it will feat ure t he lat est icons and ot her elem ent s t hat m ake it int egrat e well wit h your regular Web sit e, press releases, hard- copy press kit s, and ot her PR t ools.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

When Integration Works As t he I nt ernet m at ures, m ore PR t eam s are int egrat ing t heir online and offline effort s and t he result s are frequent ly im pressive. For t oday's PR professionals, we see t he lines of m arket ing and public relat ions blurring. Wit h t ight budget s in a slow econom y, especially, we find t hat professionals are t aking advant age of PR and m arket ing prom ot ion t oget her t o m axim ize cam paign effort s. PR people are becom ing m ore involved wit h prom ot ional sweepst akes, cont est s, charit y event s, and so on. These next few exam ples m ove away from t he t radit ional int egrat ed PR on t he Web focusing on news releases, pressroom s, and newslet t ers. I nst ead, we see m ore exam ples of int egrat ion on a daily basis in brand packaging, t elevision com m ercials t hat drive t raffic t o t he I nt ernet , and radio program m ing. A case in point is provided by t he wom en- orient ed Web sit e iVillage and t he Pepperidge Farm s brand of cookies. I n one prom ot ion, a consum er of Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies encount ered a sm all card t hat referenced iVillage when he or she first opened t he cookie package. The card invit ed t he cust om er t o log ont o t he iVillage sit e t o discover ot her pleasures ( sim ilar t o t he pleasure of eat ing a Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie) including " soot hing t ips" and " serene screensavers." A Milano Mom ent icon at t he bot t om of iVillage's hom e page m ade t he cont ent easy t o find. The Milano Mom ent page loaded wit h t he sounds of a bird chirping and offered not only screensavers, but also a chance t o win a Spa Escape Sweepst akes for t wo. The brands were t ied t oget her by a m essage t hat st ressed t hat everyone needs a lit t le t im e t o enj oy and indulge in t he sim ple pleasures in life. Mot ion pict ure st udios m ight be t he leaders when it com es t o int egrat ing t he I nt ernet int o t heir PR and m arket ing st rat egies. Nearly every m ovie m ade in t he last few years has been advert ised wit h a URL where prospect ive m oviegoers can see clips of t he m ovie, biographies of t he st ars, and ot her inform at ion. Movies t arget ed at children seem t o offer t he m ost full- feat ured Web sit es, oft en supplem ent ing t he clips wit h songs and int eract ive gam es, as was t he case wit h Disney's Lilo & St it ch in 2002 ( disney.com / st it ch ) and Disney and Pixar's Monst ers, I nc. (m onst ersrinc.com ) in 2001. Finally, an exam ple of radio advert ising and Web int egrat ion is provided by Olive Crest 's charit y event held each year at CBS Television St udios on July 4. Olive Crest is an organizat ion in Sout hern California t hat helps in t he prevent ion of child abuse. Because it 's est im at ed t hat every year m illions of children are report ed vict im s of child abuse and neglect , and t hat num ber increases annually, Olive Crest holds t his charit y event annually t o raise awareness and m oney for t he organizat ion. [ 2] [ 2]

Olive Crest was a client of Deirdre's firm , PFS Market wyse, in 2002.

Before t he event , KZLA, a local radio st at ion in Sout hern California, publicized t he charit y event and urged people t o log ont o t he Olive Crest Web sit e t o wat ch a live Webcast available t hrough JVC's lat est broadcast - qualit y, handheld cam corder, and t o m ake donat ions t o t he charit y via t he Web sit e. The Web sit e, forolivecrest .com , was designed as a part of an int egrat ed cam paign t o creat e enhanced awareness for t he July 4 event . I n addit ion, ot her m et hods t o int egrat e t he com m unicat ion on t he I nt ernet included t he following:

E- m ail blast s t o t he m edia ( t rade, consum er, and newspapers) HTML rem inder e- m ail invit at ions and m essages t o invit e int erest ed part ies t o the forolivecrest .com Web sit e Links and banners on all of t he sponsors' Web sit es for easy access t o t he July 4 event Archived st ream ing video for online users t o view if t hey m issed t he act ual event [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Beyond Consistency Alt hough consist ency is a m aj or reason t o m ake sure you have a well- rounded, int egrat ed PR cam paign on and off t he I nt ernet , we should not leave t his chapt er wit hout at least m ent ioning som e of t he side benefit s of building an online segm ent t o your cam paign. Re pe t it ion : Being redundant is usually t hought of as a bad t hing. However, when it com es t o com m unicat ion and t he abilit y t o int egrat e m essages on t he I nt ernet , redundancy is a key st rat egy. Especially when it com es t o branding or im age building, repet it ion is oft en t he key t o a m essage being received, int erpret ed, and t hen ret ained. Today's m arket ing world is m ore crowded t hen it has ever been. Too m any m essages heard daily are select ively discarded or j ust filt ered out wit h t he rest of t he com m unicat ion noise. Wit h repet it ion a visit or is able t o recognize a com pany's m essage m ore easily, whet her t he redundancy is t he spoken word, t he writ t en word, or visuals. As a result of advanced I nt ernet t echnology, all t hree t ypes of reinforced com m unicat ion—spoken, writ t en, and visual—can be achieved via HTML t ext , audiovisuals, and st ream ing video or Webcast s. D yn a m ic visu a ls a n d a u dio: The I nt ernet is a wonderful channel t hat allows us t o ut ilize live or st ream ing video t o capt ure a m om ent in t im e. Web audio and visuals have com e a long way and will cont inue t o im prove as t echnology produces bet t er Webcast s and st ream ing video for audiences who are not able t o at t end an event . Au die n ce r e a ch : PR professionals choose t o int egrat e t he I nt ernet int o com m unicat ion program s because we know t hat m ore and m ore users of different ages, educat ion levels, religions, genders, and races are online each day. As PR professionals, we're seeing t hat m any of our audiences are enj oying t he I nt ernet and are beginning t o t rust it as a good source of accurat e inform at ion. As m ore audiences spend t heir t im e online at work or at hom e t hrough fast er connect ions ( DSL lines or bet t er) as we discussed in Chapt er 2, it 's im port ant t o cat ch t heir at t ent ion when we can. This does not necessarily m ean t hat we have t o use annoying Web advert ising t hat pops up on t he screen and int erferes wit h t he reading of Web cont ent . I n fact it is bet t er t o deliver clear, consist ent m essages as part of t he Web cont ent t o get sit e users int erest ed in a com pany's product or service. I n addit ion, we've not ed earlier in t his book t hat j ournalist s are online, som et im es using t he I nt ernet as t heir first source for research on a com pany. The I nt ernet is capt uring our m ost im port ant audiences, which is significant as t he world cont inues t o becom e m ore and m ore m edia sat urat ed. I n our next chapt er, we t ackle what you need t o know about privacy online—an increasingly im port ant t opic t hat is sure t o t rip up I nt ernet users who are not willing t o pay it proper at t ent ion.

PR INTERVIEW: Elisa Padilla, Manager, Events & Attractions Group, National Basketball Association Quest ion: I n your experience, what does t he I nt ernet bring in t erm s of value/ benefit s t o a PR/ m arket ing cam paign? Pa dilla : The I nt ernet offers convenience t o consum ers. Convenience is a benefit t hat consum ers appreciat e based on hect ic schedules and fast paced life. I n developing t he m icro sit e—nba.yahoo.com —our goal was t o provide our fans wit h a vehicle where t hey could obt ain inform at ion on our program at all t im es. I n all m arket ing and public relat ions inform at ion, collat eral m at erials, t he call t o act ion direct s consum ers t o nba.yahoo.com . The m icro sit e is used as a t ool t o provide fans wit h t he m ost current inform at ion on t he NBA's basket ball and m usic t our.n Quest ion: What 's t he best int egrat ed cam paign t hat you've seen recent ly? Pa dilla : The best int egrat ed cam paign I have seen recent ly was for Washingt on Mut ual, which sought t o highlight it s services as a lending inst it ut ion. The " YES—st am p" cam paign included out door advert ising, TV, radio, radio, and I nt ernet m arket ing. The cam paign was designed as a com prehensive cam paign wit h a consist ent look and m essaging across all m edia propert ies. Consum ers were direct ed t o log on t o washingt onm ut ual.com for addit ional inform at ion on lending services. Quest ion: I n your opinion, are PR/ m arket ing professionals ut ilizing t he I nt ernet as m uch as t hey could for int egrat ed cam paigns? Pa dilla : I n m y hum ble opinion, m arket ing/ PR professionals do not use t he I nt ernet t o t he fullest capacit y as part of int egrat ed cam paigns. Depending on t he com pany's obj ect ives and product , com panies vary wit h t he capabilit ies of prom ot ing t heir product s on t he I nt ernet . Quest ion: Can you give us an exam ple ( it can be hypot het ical) of a cam paign t hat would have produced bet t er result s if it included I nt ernet m arket ing and PR st rat egies? Pa dilla : The U.S. Post al Service is an exam ple of a com pany t hat could produce far bet t er result s if it included t he I nt ernet int o it s m arket ing effort s. Consum ers use t he I nt ernet for convenience and t o save t im e. I t is used as a one- st op- shopping vehicle t o get product s, service, and, m ost im port ant ly, convenience. Recent ly when t he price of st am ps increased, consum ers were forced t o purchase t he new priced st am ps. The day of t he increase, t he Post al Service Web sit e " crashed" as a result of t he dem and from consum ers t rying t o purchase st am ps. Quest ion: Moving forward, do you event ually see m ore online st rat egy int egrat ed int o m arket ing/ PR cam paigns?

Pa dilla : I definit ely t hink t hat com panies underst and m ore and m ore t hat consum ers want convenience. Com panies will int egrat e t he I nt ernet int o m arket ing plans m ore and m ore because we're faced wit h t he realit y t hat t he I nt ernet is not going away.

PR INTERVIEW: Jason Miletsky, CEO of PFS Marketwyse and Author of Planning, Developing, and Marketing Successful Websites Quest ion: I n your experience, what does t he I nt ernet bring in t erm s of value/ benefit s t o a PR/ m arket ing cam paign? M ile t sk y: The I nt ernet brings t he sam e t o a PR/ m arket ing event t hat it brings t o t he general populat ion—speed and inst ant access t o inform at ion. Regardless of specific benchm arks, every m arket ing or PR effort shares a com m on goal: increased visibilit y and int erest am ong it s t arget m arket . The I nt ernet allows t hat int erest t o be fed im m ediat ely. The " real- t im e" aspect of inform at ion ( whet her t he t arget m arket in t his case is a j ournalist , broadcast er, or end user) support s a cam paign by t urning a vague int erest in a com pany, product , or service, int o a t im ely need. " Good" m arket ers have begun t o include t heir Web address in pract ically all of t heir m at erial, including advert ising, direct m ail, and press releases. " Great " m arket ers realize in advance t he t ype of inform at ion people will be looking for based on t heir cam paign, and adj ust t heir Web sit e accordingly. Quest ion: What 's t he best int egrat ed cam paign ( m ust include PR) t hat you've seen recent ly? M ile t sk y: BMW is one of t he best m arket ers around when it com es t o t he I nt ernet . I n alm ost a backward PR program , t heir work wit h t he Web generat ed an unbelievable am ount of press coverage, which in t urn sent m ore people back t o t heir sit e. Taking advant age of t he m ult im edia aspect s t hat t he Web offers, BMW creat ed BMW Film s—an ent it y focused on producing short , fict ionalized m ovies t hat would play on BMW's Web sit e. Each m ovie involved a BMW car, and each had a big Hollywood nam e like Madonna at t ached t o it , eit her as a st ar or as a direct or. The PR generat ed from t hat effort , along wit h a sim ult aneous co- op advert ising prom ot ion wit h VH- 1, was a brilliant ly int egrat ed effort t hat really st ruck a chord wit h it s m arket . Quest ion: I n your opinion, are PR professionals ut ilizing t he I nt ernet as m uch as t hey could for int egrat ed cam paigns?

M ile t sk y: Flat ly, no. Market ers who haven't yet figured out how t o harness it vast ly underut ilize t he innat e power of t he Web. Cyber newsroom s, for exam ple, are blat ant ly m issing from a large num ber of sit es—m ost am azingly from sit es t hat believe in and undert ake PR st rat egies. But t he worst m ist ake com panies m ake is forget t ing t hat t he Web is not st at ic—it can be changed, edit ed, and updat ed relat ively quickly. I n addit ion, vast am ount s of cont ent can be provided for absolut ely no cost ( except t he t im e it t akes t o com pile and upload) . St rat egist s don't know t his, however. Their lim it at ions in t erm s of program m ing keep t hem from t aking full advant age of t he Web in t heir overall m arket ing effort s. Quest ion: Can you give us an exam ple ( it can be hypot het ical) of a cam paign t hat would have produced bet t er result s if it included t he I nt ernet m arket ing and PR st rat egies? M ile t sk y: Suppose for exam ple, t hat Com pany X is int roducing a new product and m aking an aggressive m arket ing push for t hat product , using advert ising, plus prom ot ional and public relat ions st rat egies. When t he int erest of t he m arket get s piqued, a person's first im pulse is t o find out m ore on t he Web sit e. The hom e page, t hen, should feat ure t hat new product prom inent ly t o support t he overall cam paign. Rem arkably, however, m any m arket ers neglect t his aspect of t he cam paign, even t hough it 's one of t he m ost im port ant part s. I n m ost cases, Com pany X would cont inue t o feat ure it s st andard hom e page, forcing t he user t o search for t he newly m arket ed product . Even worse, som e m arket ers m ight have neglect ed t heir sit es t o t he point t hat t he new product inform at ion isn't even available at t he t im e of t he cam paign. The point is t hat t he Web needs t o be considered at t he very st art of any int egrat ed cam paign, and prepared for in advance—not as an aft ert hought . Quest ion: Moving forward, do you event ually see m ore online st rat egy int egrat ed int o m arket ing/ PR cam paigns? M ile t sk y: Yes, but only t o an ext ent . There will be an increase in som e I nt ernet m arket ing elem ent s, such as opt - in e- m ail blast s, but I t hink we're st ill a long way away from ut ilizing t he Web t o it s full pot ent ial. Market ers cont inue t o debat e t he pros and cons of banner advert ising as a brand vehicle, while refusing t o em brace t he real value of t he I nt ernet —t he sit e it self. Driving people t o a sit e isn't t he t oughest part of m arket ing—t he t rick is t o get t he m ost out of each visit or once he or she is t here. The unfort unat e realit y is t hat t here is a severe disconnect bet ween t he com m unicat ions professionals and t he program m ers. St rat egist s don't know a lot about program m ing, and t herefore t hey t end t o underut ilize t he Web because t hey're afraid of it . When t hat fear is erased, and t he gap bet ween st rat egist and program m er is reduced, t hen we'll st art t o see t he I nt ernet being used m ore effect ively. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 13. Don't Forget about Privacy I nsufficient at t ent ion t o privacy is a recipe for a PR m ess. PR people should encourage client s t o post honest privacy policies. Sit es collect ing inform at ion from children need t o be part icularly careful. U.S. sit es can seek " safe haven" under European Union privacy rules. Throughout t his book, we've argued t hat t he I nt ernet can build on your exist ing PR st rat egies in ways not possible in t he old, offline world. The added abilit ies t o t arget m essages, t o deliver t hem quickly, and t o m aint ain a newsroom t hat is open 24/ 7 can all be achieved wit hout huge cost s. One significant drawback of t he I nt ernet is t he speed wit h which it can circulat e negat ive news about your client s. Anot her downside, which we t ackle in t his chapt er, is t he dem and t hat it places on you and your client s t o const ruct policies governing your use of consum er inform at ion. Creat ing such policies was probably a wort hwhile pract ice in t he pre- I nt ernet world t o guide you in deciding what you m ight do wit h dat abases of nam es and addresses. However, in t he I nt ernet age, such policies have becom e im perat ive. Whet her you're sim ply collect ing report ers' e- m ail addresses for press release dist ribut ion or helping your client adm inist er an online quest ionnaire int ended t o record t he shopping habit s of sit e visit ors, you need t o be t hinking long and hard about privacy pract ices. For what ever reason, m any people around t he world are very concerned about what happens wit h inform at ion t hat t hey provide t o Web sit es. Perhaps t hey've heard st ories about ident it y t heft or m aybe t here's j ust a discom fort t hat people feel when t hey are plugging personal inform at ion int o a Web form wit h no idea who is collect ing t hat inform at ion or what t hey're doing wit h it . You could argue t hat your personal dat a are no less secure online t han t hey are when you provide your credit card t o a m inim um - wage em ployee in a t ypical rest aurant or discount st ore. However, such debat es are purely academ ic and not wort h your t im e. Today's realit y is t hat people are clearly anxious about online dat a gat hering and Web sit e operat ors need t o do t heir best t o allay t hose fears. The Unit ed St at es, unlike m any ot her count ries, has t aken a self- regulat ory approach t o online privacy wit h t he Federal Trade Com m ission ( FTC) in t he lead role of encouraging Web sit es t o publish policies t hat t ell t heir visit ors what is done wit h t heir personal inform at ion. The early assessm ent s of t hat approach were not exact ly posit ive, as t he FTC report ed in June 1998 t hat a survey of 1,400 com m ercial Web sit es had found t hat m ore t han 85 percent of sit es collect ed personal inform at ion, but only 14 percent post ed any descript ion of t heir inform at ion pract ices and only 2 percent had what t he FTC considered t o be a " com prehensive privacy policy." A July 1999 report found som e im provem ent , as a survey of 361 sit es found 44 percent had post ed privacy policies. The figure was up t o 88 percent by t he t im e of a May 2000 report , but t he FTC used t hat report t o push for policies t hat were m ore com plet e. I t not ed t hat only 20 percent of surveyed Web sit es had em braced all four

of what t he FTC said were sound inform at ion pract ices. A m aj orit y of FTC com m issioners said a law should be passed t hat would require sit es t o provide visit ors wit h not ice of t heir inform at ion policies, a choice t o opt out of dat a collect ion, access t o t he dat a t hat have been collect ed about t hem , and t op- not ch securit y t o guarant ee t hat personal dat a are not st olen or leaked. The FTC's support for such new legislat ion waned wit h t he elect ion of President George W. Bush and t he subsequent rise of bigger concerns like t he use of t he I nt ernet for secret ly planning at t acks against t he Unit ed St at es. However, t here's no guarant ee t hat new privacy legislat ion will not gain support in Congress at som e point in t he near fut ure. Lawyers have t old us t hat as long as t here is no legal requirem ent for privacy policies, t hey're not t errifically ent husiast ic about creat ing docum ent s t hat can only be used against t he com panies t hat writ e t hem and t hen violat e t hem . St ephanie B. Glaser, an at t orney wit h Pat t erson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, LLP in New York Cit y, has writ t en on t he GigaLaw.com Web sit e t hat sit es t hat do not collect personally ident ifying inform at ion m ight not want t o post a privacy policy. " Because laws m andat ing privacy policies are not likely t o be enact ed anyt im e soon and because owners will be st rict ly held t o any prom ises or st at em ent s t hey m ay m ake in t heir policies, a decision not t o post a privacy policy in t hese circum st ances m ay be a rat ional choice," she wrot e. [ 1] [ 1] Glaser, St ephanie B., GigaLaw.com , " To Post an Online Privacy Policy Or Not ?," Novem ber 2001, gigalaw.com / art icles/ 2001- all/ glaser- 2001- 11- all.ht m l.

Glaser also wrot e, however, t hat sit es t hat do collect personal inform at ion will probably find it wort hwhile t o post a privacy policy t o win t he cooperat ion of consum ers who are less likely t o t rust a sit e t hat does not reveal what it does wit h personal dat a. " The m ore personal inform at ion t he sit e collect s ( such as e- m ail addresses, nam es, post al addresses, and financial inform at ion) and t he m ore t he sit e shares t his inform at ion wit h t hird part ies, t he m ore a Web sit e owner should probably opt t o include a privacy st at em ent because it is sim ply good for business," she wrot e. Once a decision is m ade t o post a privacy policy, t he post ing com pany is opening it self up t o a pot ent ial PR disast er if it is not careful in developing it s policy. Too oft en we've seen com panies guide t heir policym aking by what t hey t hink people want t o hear. The popular inclinat ion is t o adopt a policy t hat port rays you or your client as a whit e knight wit h t ot al respect for t he sanct it y of personal dat a. That 's fine if you are confident t hat t his philosophy is widely shared inside t he com pany and your policy will not be violat ed t he day it is post ed. We urge you t o encourage your client t o t ake t he t im e t o discuss it s inform at ion pract ices. I f t here's any chance t hat t he com pany m ight share inform at ion wit h a t hird part y, you should st at e t hat in your policy and explain what t hose t hird part ies m ight do wit h t he dat a. Could you possibly be adding report ers' e- m ail addresses collect ed for one client t o an e- m ail dist ribut ion list you've est ablished for anot her client ? I s t here any chance t hat t he newslet t er e- m ail list your client has creat ed for it s m ost loyal cust om ers could be viewed as a saleable asset if t he com pany folds? I f your policy prom ises t o " guarant ee" t he privacy of sit e users, do you and your client really have t op- not ch securit y m easures in place t o keep personal dat a from being hacked or accident ally m ade public? A good privacy policy should describe what t ypes of inform at ion are collect ed and t o

whom t he dat a m ight be disclosed. I f your sit e includes ads served by ot her com panies or feat ures m anaged by ot her service providers, you should probably point out t hat you are not responsible for t he inform at ion pract ices of t hose ot her players. Anot her t hing t hat m any I nt ernet users look t o find in a privacy policy are det ails about t he sit e's use of " cookies," a t echnology t hat can be used t o t rack t he foot print s of Web sit e visit ors in an at t em pt t o learn t heir likes and dislikes. Som e sit es use cookies anonym ously t o serve up product offers t hey t hink m ight be of int erest t o a visit or wit hout ever learning t he visit or's nam e or ot her ident ifying inform at ion. Ot her sit es, however, m ight ask users t o regist er and will place a cookie on t he user's hard drive so t hat t he person's online foot print s can be t ied t o his or her ident ifying inform at ion t o keep close t abs on what a part icular consum er is seeking. I f your sit e offers t he consum er som e abilit y t o review t he personal inform at ion on file or change it ( i.e., t he e- m ail address for a newslet t er) , your privacy st at em ent should say so. Consum ers will also want t o know whet her you are using encrypt ion or ot her t echnologies t o keep t heir dat a secure. Finally, t he privacy st at em ent should also not e t he likelihood of fut ure am endm ent s t o t he policy and invit e visit ors t o check back periodically. As we not ed earlier, what you put in your client 's privacy policy is fant ast ically im port ant because t he exist ence of t he policy opens t he door for FTC review and disciplinary act ions, which always am ount t o bad publicit y for t he com pany being invest igat ed. Drug com pany Eli Lilly learned t his lesson t he hard way in June 2001 when an em ployee sent out an e- m ail m essage t o inform users of t he ant idepressant Prozac t hat a rem inder service was being discont inued. The service had been used t o send regular e- m ails t o 669 subscribers t o rem ind t hem t o t ake t heir pills or refill t heir subscript ions. Unfort unat ely, t he Lilly em ployee charged wit h sending t he not ice about t he service's t erm inat ion did not prot ect t he e- m ail addresses of subscribers. Consequent ly t he addresses of fellow subscribers were visible t o all recipient s. The problem result ed in an FTC finding in January 2002 t hat t he com pany had not kept it s prom ise t o prot ect t he privacy of Web sit e visit ors. The agency required Lilly t o " est ablish and m aint ain a four- st age inform at ion securit y program designed t o est ablish and m aint ain reasonable and appropriat e adm inist rat ive, t echnical, and physical safeguards t o prot ect consum ers' personal inform at ion against any reasonably ant icipat ed t hreat s or hazards t o it s securit y, confident ialit y, or int egrit y, and t o prot ect such inform at ion against unaut horized access, use, or disclosure." The com pany was also required t o do an annual writ t en review of it s pract ices int ended t o prot ect privacy. [ 2] [ 2]

FTC press release, January 18, 2002.

The Lilly ruling is also significant for it s t im ing because it cam e during t he Bush Adm inist rat ion, signaling t hat t he FTC would cont inue t o police com pliance wit h privacy policies even while arguing t hat a new law was not needed t o require t he post ing of such policies. I ndeed, FTC Chairm an Tim ot hy J. Muris t old a House of Represent at ives subcom m it t ee in April 2002 t hat his agency would increase it s spending on effort s t o oversee com pliance wit h online privacy prom ises. [ 3] [ 3]

FTC press release, April 10, 2002.

Anot her t hing Muris vowed t o cont inue is t he FTC's policing of t he prom ises Web sit es have m ade t o com ply wit h privacy regulat ions from t he European Union ( EU) . The European Com m ission's Direct ive on Dat a Prot ect ion went int o effect in Oct ober

1998, and requires com panies in t he 15 m em ber nat ions t o carefully guard t he privacy of t he cit izens of t he m em ber count ries. Given t hat t he Unit ed St at es governm ent has preferred a m ore hands- off approach, t he direct ive t hreat ened t o bar m any U.S. com panies from doing business wit h cit izens of EU count ries. So t he U.S. Com m erce Depart m ent negot iat ed a fram ework wit h t he EU under which U.S. com panies can earn " safe harbor" st at us under t he EU direct ive if t hey abide by part icular inform at ion m anagem ent principles. The EU list s seven principles alt oget her including not ice, choice, access, and securit y, which we discussed earlier. I n addit ion, t he E.U. requires t hat com panies provide consum ers wit h not ice and choice when t heir dat a are being t ransferred t o a t hird part y. The dat a m ust also be accurat e and current and t he com pany m ust be subj ect t o an enforcem ent process if it fails t o abide by it s privacy st at em ent s. ( For m ore on t he safe harbor st ruct ure, see t he sidebar on page 206 in t his chapt er.) Once a com pany has draft ed it s privacy policy and post ed it online, a cert ificat ion form can be filled out on t he Depart m ent of Com m erce's Web sit e so t hat t he com pany's nam e can be added t o t he safe harbor list m aint ained by t he Com m erce Depart m ent at web.it a.doc.gov/ safeharbor/ shlist .nsf/ webPages/ safe+ harbor+ list . A com pany t hat does not abide by t he policy it has adopt ed can be charged wit h decept ive pract ices by t he FTC and could lose it s safe harbor cert ificat ion. One area where t he U.S. Congress has endorsed regulat ion on dat a collect ion is in t hose cases where inform at ion is collect ed from children under t he age of 13. A 1998 law known as t he Children's Online Privacy Prot ect ion Act ( COPPA) prohibit s t he collect ion of personally ident ifiable inform at ion from young children wit hout t heir parent s' consent and t he FTC has act ed vigilant ly t o enforce t he law and bring act ion against noncom plying Web sit e owners. I f you or your client are seeking inform at ion from Web sit e visit ors or collect ing dat a about newslet t er subscribers, you m ust t ake st eps t o ensure you are not collect ing dat a from children younger t han 13 years old wit hout t he perm ission of t heir parent s. The regulat ions developed t o im plem ent COPPA apply t o operat ors of com m ercial Web sit es and online services direct ed t o children under t he age of 13, and t o general- audience Web sit es and online services t hat knowingly collect personal inform at ion from children. Am ong ot her t hings, t he regulat ions require t hat a clear and prom inent link be placed on t he hom e page and on dat a- collect ion pages t o a not ice t hat describes a sit e's inform at ion pract ices. The not ice m ust list t he nam e and cont act inform at ion for som eone who is responsible for collect ing inform at ion from children. I t m ust also describe what t ypes of dat a are collect ed and how t hey are collect ed—by direct ly asking t he children or by observing t heir sit e usage t hrough cookies or som e ot her t echnology. The not ice m ust also describe what kinds of t hird part ies have access t o t he dat a and for what purposes. I t m ust also advise parent s of procedures t o follow t o review t he dat a collect ed about t heir children. [ 4] [ 4] FTC Web sit e docum ent , " Fact s for Businesses: How t o Com ply Wit h t he Children's Online Privacy Prot ect ion Rule."

The original COPPA regulat ions allow sit e operat ors t o obt ain a parent 's perm ission in a variet y of ways, including e- m ail, fax, and let t er. However, t hose regulat ions have been under review and m ay be am ended. Det ails about COPPA are available on t he I nt ernet at ft c.gov/ kidzprivacy. The FTC is responsible for policing t his area and has brought cases against several Web sit es alleged t o have violat ed COPPA. I n one case, t he Am erican Pop Corn Com pany ( APC) agreed t o pay $10,000 t o set t le FTC charges t hat it violat ed COPPA by collect ing personal inform at ion from children on it s " Jolly Tim e" Web sit e wit hout

obt aining parent al consent . I n it s com plaint , t he FTC alleged t hat APC m aint ains a Web sit e at j ollyt im e.com wit h a Kids Club sect ion t hat feat ures gam es, craft s, cont est s, and j okes direct ed at children under t he age of 13. Wit hout obt aining parent al consent , t he com pany collect ed personal inform at ion, including nam es, em ail addresses, and hom e addresses, from children who went t o t he Kids Club sect ion. I t also condit ioned part icipat ion in cert ain prize offers on children's providing m ore inform at ion t han was necessary t o part icipat e in t he act ivit y, t he FTC alleged. Bot h pract ices violat e COPPA. I n addit ion, APC post ed a privacy policy st at em ent on it s Web sit e st at ing t hat it would not ify parent s or guardians by e- m ail whenever " guest s" under t he age of 18 regist ered at it s sit e. I t st at ed t hat parent s or guardians would be given t he opt ion t o invalidat e t he regist rat ion. However, APC did not cont act t he parent s of children who regist ered and provided personal inform at ion, and t herefore t he privacy policy st at em ent s were false, in violat ion of t he FTC Act , t he agency alleged. [ 5] [ 5]

FTC press release, February 14, 2002.

The fine was $30,000 for COPPA violat ions in a case t he FTC brought against Lisa Frank I nc., a seller of girls' t oys and school supplies t hat t he FTC found was collect ing personal inform at ion from children wit hout t heir parent s' consent . The agency also charged t he com pany wit h decept ive pract ices for st at ing in it s privacy policy t hat children younger t han 13 would need a parent t o com plet e t he sit e's regist rat ion form . I n fact , parent s were never required t o part icipat e in t he regist rat ion process. [ 6] [ 6]

FTC press release, Oct ober 2, 2001.

To help com panies ensure t hat t heir Web sit es com ply wit h COPPA, t he FTC has ent ered int o part nerships wit h several " seal" program s t hat will review a sit e's policies and det erm ine whet her t hey com ply wit h t he law. Am ong t he organizat ions t he FTC has em braced are TRUSTe, an I nt ernet privacy seal program ; t he Ent ert ainm ent Soft ware Rat ing Board; and t he Children's Advert ising Review Unit of t he Council of Bet t er Business Bureaus. One ot her t hing t o be aware of when const ruct ing a privacy policy for your firm or your client s is t he em ergence of a t echnology init iat ive called Plat form for Privacy Preferences ( P3P) t hat is int ended t o help people decide whet her t o visit part icular Web sit es depending on t he cont ent s of t heir privacy policies. The goal is t o enable a person's browser soft ware t o aut om at ically review privacy policies and provide access t o only t hose sit es t hat have policies t hat t he users has defined as accept able. P3P is a st andard developed by t he World Wide Web Consort ium . Early versions have been circulat ed online since 2000, but version 1.0 of P3P was issued as a recom m endat ion in April 2002. FTC Chairm an Muris gave t he effort his endorsem ent in Oct ober 2001 when he t old t he Privacy 2001 Conference t hat it was " cut t ing- edge t echnology" t hat represent ed an approach t o handling privacy concerns t hat is " m uch m ore m anageable t han t oday's sit e- by- sit e, not ice- by- not ice regim e." [ 7] [ 7]

FTC press release, Oct ober 4, 2001.

P3P works by requiring a sit e t o boil it s privacy policy down t o a series of answers t o a set of m ult iple choice quest ions. An I nt ernet user, arm ed wit h a P3P- com pliant browser, such as Microsoft I nt ernet Explorer 6, m ust com plet e a sim ilar quest ionnaire t o specify what he or she considers t o be accept able privacy policies. The t echnology t hen not ifies a visit or of t he accept abilit y of a sit e's policies when he

or she ent ers t he sit e or m oves t o different pages wit hin a sit e. A user, for exam ple, m ight specify t hat she does not want her e- m ail address shared wit h a sit e's m arket ing part ners. A sit e t hat int ends t o share e- m ail addresses wit h t hird part ies will be flagged by t he user's browser soft ware, t hus not ifying t he user of t he need t o cancel her t ransact ion or opt out of t his sit e's dat a sharing act ivit ies. Because any Web page wit h a URL can have it s own P3P policy, we recom m end t hat you conduct an audit of your sit e t o det erm ine what t ypes of dat a are being collect ed on each page and for what purposes. Different policies can t hen be associat ed wit h each page, t hereby enabling you t o disclose, for exam ple, t hat dat a ent ered on cont est form s are shared wit h t hird part ies, whereas dat a ent ered on t he sit e regist rat ion page are not shared out side your com pany. The act ual m achinereadable privacy policies are creat ed using generat or soft ware available t hrough p3pt oolbox.org. Alt hough t he list of sit es com plying wit h P3P is st ill relat ively short in com parison t o t he size of t he I nt ernet , it cont inues t o grow and m any I nt ernet analyst s believe t he t echnology could be an im port ant m eans by which people becom e m ore com fort able wit h how t heir personal dat a are used online.

SIDEBAR: Understanding the EU Safe Harbor Agreement The U.S. Com m erce Depart m ent has published t he following quest ions and answers relat ed t o t he safe harbor agreem ent t hat enables self- cert ified U.S. com panies t o do business wit h cit izens of EU nat ions. The following is excerpt ed from a longer list of quest ions and answers on t he depart m ent 's Web sit e at export .gov/ safeharbor/ sh_overview.ht m l. What do t he safe harbor principles require? Organizat ions m ust com ply wit h t he seven safe harbor principles. The principles require t he following: N ot ice : Organizat ions m ust not ify individuals about t he purposes for which t hey collect and use inform at ion about t hem . They m ust provide inform at ion about how individuals can cont act t he organizat ion wit h any inquiries or com plaint s, t he t ypes of t hird part ies t o which it discloses t he inform at ion and t he choices and m eans t he organizat ion offers for lim it ing it s use and disclosure. Ch oice : Organizat ions m ust give individuals t he opport unit y t o choose ( opt out ) whet her t heir personal inform at ion will be disclosed t o a t hird part y or used for a purpose incom pat ible wit h t he purpose for which it was originally collect ed or subsequent ly aut horized by t he individual. For sensit ive inform at ion, affirm at ive or explicit ( opt in) choice m ust be given if t he inform at ion is t o be disclosed t o a t hird part y or used for a purpose ot her t han it s original purpose or t he purpose aut horized subsequent ly by t he individual. On w a r d Tr a n sfe r ( Tr a n sfe r s t o Th ir d Pa r t ie s) : To disclose inform at ion t o a t hird part y, organizat ions m ust apply t he not ice and choice principles.

Where an organizat ion wishes t o t ransfer inform at ion t o a t hird part y t hat is act ing as an agent , it m ay do so if it m akes sure t hat t he t hird part y subscribes t o t he safe harbor principles or is subj ect t o t he Direct ive or anot her adequacy finding. As an alt ernat ive, t he organizat ion can ent er int o a writ t en agreem ent wit h such t hird part y requiring t hat t he t hird part y provide at least t he sam e level of privacy prot ect ion as is required by t he relevant principles. Acce ss: I ndividuals m ust have access t o personal inform at ion about t hem t hat an organizat ion holds and be able t o correct , am end, or delet e t hat inform at ion where it is inaccurat e, except where t he burden or expense of providing access would be disproport ionat e t o t he risks t o t he individual's privacy in t he case in quest ion, or where t he right s of persons ot her t han t he individual would be violat ed. Se cu r it y: Organizat ions m ust t ake reasonable precaut ions t o prot ect personal inform at ion from loss, m isuse, and unaut horized access, disclosure, alt erat ion, and dest ruct ion. D a t a I n t e gr it y: Personal inform at ion m ust be relevant for t he purposes for which it is t o be used. An organizat ion should t ake reasonable st eps t o ensure t hat dat a is reliable for it s int ended use, accurat e, com plet e, and current . En for ce m e n t : I n order t o ensure com pliance wit h t he safe harbor principles, t here m ust be ( a) readily available and affordable independent recourse m echanism s so t hat each individual's com plaint s and disput es can be invest igat ed and resolved and dam ages awarded where t he applicable law or privat e sect or init iat ives so provide; ( b) procedures for verifying t hat t he com m it m ent s com panies m ake t o adhere t o t he safe harbor principles have been im plem ent ed; and ( c) obligat ions t o rem edy problem s arising out of a failure t o com ply wit h t he principles. Sanct ions m ust be sufficient ly rigorous t o ensure com pliance by t he organizat ion. Organizat ions t hat fail t o provide annual self- cert ificat ion let t ers will no longer appear in t he list of part icipant s and safe harbor benefit s will no longer be assured. How and where will t he safe harbor be enforced? I n general, enforcem ent of t he safe harbor will t ake place in t he Unit ed St at es in accordance wit h U.S. law and will be carried out prim arily by t he privat e sect or. Privat e sect or self- regulat ion and enforcem ent will be backed up as needed by governm ent enforcem ent of t he federal and st at e unfair and decept ive st at ut es. The int ent of t hese st at ut es is t o give an organizat ion's safe harbor com m it m ent s t he force of law vis- à- vis t hat organizat ion. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Part IV: Conclusions Chapt er 14. The Changing Role of t he Com m unicat or Chapt er 15. Looking Ahead [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 14. The Changing Role of the Communicator The I nt ernet revolut ion prom ises profound changes in public relat ions. The PR professional is em powered t o play a m ore im port ant role in craft ing a client 's m essage and im age. Our t ools and vocabulary have been changed forever. " Revolut ionize" is a word t hat was t hrown around wit h reckless abandon during t he heyday of I nt ernet st art ups. The I nt ernet was going t o revolut ionize how we shopped for everyt hing from soft drinks t o sofas t o SUVs. I t was going t o revolut ionize how we booked plane t rips and hot el room s. I t was going t o revolut ionize t he concept of com m unit y by creat ing virt ual com m unit ies of likem inded individuals regardless of geographic dist ance. The I nt ernet was going t o revolut ionize relat ionships bet ween m anufact urers and suppliers. As we look back on it , som e of t hese revolut ions have achieved m ore t han ot hers. However, we t hink it is appropriat e t o use t he word " revolut ionize" t o explain what t he I nt ernet has done t o public relat ions. The revolut ion is reflect ed in t he new t ools like e- m ail, online pressroom s, newslet t ers, and Webcast s t hat we've devot ed large port ions of t his book t o discussing. At t he heart of t his revolut ion, t hough, is a profound change in t he role of t he public relat ions professional. What t he I nt ernet has done is freed t he public relat ions professional t o be less of a paper shuffler and m ore of a t hinker. I n short , it let s you work sm art er. Frequent ly, it is t he t echnology it self t hat is charact erized as " sm art ." We have sm art bom bs t hat allow t he m ilit ary t o locat e precise t arget s and we have sm art houses t hat t urn on t he lawn sprinkler and close t he window blinds when t he sun em erges from behind a cloud on a hot sum m er day. However, t echnology developers will t ell you t hat a t echnology is not really pulling it s weight unt il it enables hum ans t o work m ore efficient ly and effect ively. I n public relat ions, t his brass ring is now wit hin reach. PR professionals who are t aking advant age of t he I nt ernet t o keep t heir m edia list s updat ed and t o get t heir press releases dist ribut ed via e- m ail and archived in an online pressroom are finding t hem selves spending less t im e on faxing and overnight m ail and m isdirect ed pit ches t o inappropriat e m edia out let s. I nst ead, t hey have t im e t o t hink m ore st rat egically about t he m essage t hat t heir client s are delivering—online and offline—and how t he m edia and t he public are responding. They are evolving beyond t he role of " cont act person" t o a fuller part nership wit h m arket ing people, I T depart m ent s, and t op execut ives in craft ing t he im age of t he com pany or organizat ion. This t hem e has been raised by several professionals—from bot h t he PR side and t he j ournalism side—in t heir com m ent s t hroughout t his book.

Larry Weber, chairm an and CEO of I nt erpublic's Advanced Market ing Services, says t hat t he evolut ion of PR people from dist ribut ors of inform at ion t o st rat egist s prom ises t o change t he m akeup of t he PR indust ry. The people needed for such j obs are m ore likely t o be t he t ypes of st udent s who hist orically have t ended t o pursue MBAs or law degrees rat her t han going int o public relat ions, Weber says. This m eans t hat salaries in PR m ight have t o rise t o reel in t he best and t he bright est , he acknowledges, but so should t he qualit y of t he service being provided t o t he client s. Mat t hew Anchin of I BM, who m anages t hat com pany's online pressroom , also t alked t o us about t he new PR skill set . Wit h t he I nt ernet playing such an im port ant role in dist ribut ing inform at ion, it becom es m ore im port ant for PR people t o be able t o explain a com pany's business st rat egy, including how a new product fit s in wit h t hat st rat egy and how it com pares t o t hose of indust ry rivals, Anchin says. I n t he case of I BM, he says, it is very likely t hat m ore of t he com pany's PR people will be hired wit h non- t radit ional PR backgrounds. For inst ance, som eone wit h an engineering degree could speak int elligent ly about t he com pany's vision and it s product s. For Dianne Lynch, a j ournalism professor at St . Michael's College, t he I nt ernet forces PR people t o evolve t o rem ain " relevant ," because t hey no longer serve t he role of inform at ion gat eway. Wit h so m uch dat a available online, a report er is not beholden t o a PR person for a copy of t he lat est releases or t he annual report , says Lynch in Chapt er 6, point ing out t hat online direct ories oft en enable report ers t o direct ly dial a com pany's execut ives wit hout t he aid of PR people. She also sees PR people playing a larger role as st rat egist s helping t o keep a client 's public m essages in line wit h it s business goals and she suggest s t hat PR professionals should also help coach t op execut ives t o keep t hem on- m essage when speaking publicly. Whet her or not you're ready t o agree t hat t he I nt ernet prom ises t o redefine t he PR profession, you cannot deny t hat it has already changed t he day- t o- day act ivit ies of PR professionals. Take a m om ent t o consider where you were 10 years ago. Were you in school, in business, or perhaps one of t he first t o realize t hat t his new applicat ion called t he World Wide Web was going t o som eday affect t he ent ire scope of your day? The world is a m uch sm aller and fast er place t han it was a decade ago. Change is a const ant and t he word " const ant " barely exist s. Think about a few of t he m aj or m ilest ones since you first realized t hat you could work m ore quickly and collaborat ively via e- m ail wit h a client in anot her t im e zone or hem isphere. You also learned t hat e- m ail got your m essage t o t he m edia m ore quickly t han t yping let t ers, print ing t hem out , and addressing a couple of hundred envelopes. What about t he abilit y you were given t o generat e an accurat e m edia list wit h a few sim ple st rokes on a keyboard? Before online m edia guides cam e along, it m ight have t aken a dozen phone calls t o get t he nam e of t he right edit or t o whom t o send a press kit or a news release. What a t rem endous difference t o have a vendor ( i.e., Bacon's or Media Map) updat e t he online dat abase daily. The Web gives you a great er abilit y t o find out who's writ ing about your client s and why. Monit oring services like CyberAlert and eWat ch t ell you about not only t he t radit ional m edia, but about rum or m ongers who m ight be planning t o t arnish your client 's reput at ion. Anot her way t o consider how far we've com e in 10 years is t o consider t he t hings t hat you worry about t oday t hat you didn't even know about in t he early 1990s. We subm it t he following list of new worries:

The I nt ernet forces PR professionals t o learn m ore about t echnology and t o com m unicat e m ore closely wit h int ernal I T depart m ent s or t he I T depart m ent s of t heir client s. Today's PR professional m ust have a vocabulary t hat includes m any t echnological t erm s. The I nt ernet forces PR professionals t o underst and t he im port ance of Web sit e design and how a consist ent look and feel for a brand is im port ant t o it s online presence. The I nt ernet keeps your client s " in play" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, because inform at ion is always available on t he Web t o report ers in any num ber of count ries and individuals are always free t o launch new m essage boards or Web sit es t hat cast your client in a negat ive light . Perhaps t he sim plest way t o recognize how t he I nt ernet has changed you in t he last 10 years is t o list en t o yourself t alk. I f you're like m any of us, you're probably surprised by t he num ber of t echnical t erm s t hat roll off your t ongue t hat were known by a sm all num ber of t echnophiles at t he beginning of t he 1990s. Take a look at " The New PR Glossary " we've assem bled in t his chapt er ( see page 216) and see how m any you already know. What 's rem arkable is t he ext ent t o which t oday's PR professionals encount er t he t erm inology all t he t im e. Consider t he exam ple of a young PR professional who knows j ust what she needs t o do when she get s a call from a frenzied phot o edit or on deadline who want s a color im age of her client and adds: " Make sure it 's 300 dpi." That sam e young colleague also does not m iss a beat when she m ust explain t o a client t hat he can see draft versions of news releases and m edia kit designs on her PR firm 's st aging server. When t he client asks, " What 's a st aging server?" t oday's PR professional knows what t o t ell him . The pace of t echnological change is cert ainly not going t o slow down, not even wit h a slowdown in capit al spending t hat is delaying m oves t o broadband, and ot her t echnologies. We'll offer som e t hought s on what t he fut ure m ight hold in our next chapt er. As we wrap up t his chapt er, however, we'll predict t hat it will cont inue t o be up t o PR professionals t o list en, t o learn, and t o be open t o new t echnological advances t hat affect t he PR profession—all in an effort t o bet t er serve a client and a brand. PR professionals cannot st op at any point and say " I 've learned enough t oday." The nat ure of t he profession prom ot es cont inuous learning, and we believe t his m ust include inform at ion t echnology. We feel t he changes and t he challenges prepare you t o be proact ive and responsive wit h your client s' or your com pany's PR needs. Rem em ber, t his changing role t hat you're experiencing is really j ust one m ore const ant t hat you can count on day in and day out . Aft er all, as you change and hone your I nt ernet and PR skills, m ore and m ore opport unit ies will becom e available t o t hose you serve. And, as you change and grow wit h t echnology, you help t o shape t he fut ure direct ion of t he public relat ions indust ry and t he I nt ernet . I n realit y, it 's your t oolkit and you're building it every st ep of t he way.

SIDEBAR: The New PR Glossary

I t 's rem arkable t o consider how m uch t echnology j argon has crept int o t he everyday vocabulary of PR people who are working wit h t he I nt ernet . Test yourself t o see how m any of t he t erm s on our list you already know: Ar ch ive : Older files t hat are no longer t im ely, but are st ill available t o users who m ight be int erest ed. Ba ck - e n d pr ogr a m m in g: Any program m ing or code t hat helps build t he sit e but rem ains invisible t o t he user. Ba n dw idt h : The am ount of inform at ion t hat can be sent t hrough a net work connect ion at one t im e, usually m easured in bit s per second ( bps) . The larger a file, im age, or video, t he longer it will t ake, especially over low- bandwidt h connect ions. D om a in n a m e : The nam e t hat people will use t o visit a sit e ( e.g., yourcom pany.com ) . Fir e w a ll: The hardware and soft ware used t o break up a net work int o one or m ore part s for securit y reasons. Firewalls keep som e I nt ernet users from accessing som e I nt ernet feat ures, such as Webcast s. Fr on t - e n d de sign : The graphic designs, t ext , logos, and all of t he elem ent s t hat are seen on a Web sit e. FTP: File Transfer Prot ocol, which provides t he abilit y t o m ove files bet ween t wo I nt ernet sit es. You'll oft en hear I T people saying ( alt hough considered slang t o som e) , " Please FTP t hat over t o t hem ," or " I already FTPed t hat ." H it s: Request s m ade of t he Web server t o relay a file back t o t he user, hence t he phrase, " How m any hit s has t his page received?" H TM L: Hypert ext Markup Language. Don't let t he acronym scare you. I t 's a sim ple coding language t hat t ells a Web browser how t o lay out elem ent s on each Web page. I P a ddr e ss: A num eric address t o det erm ine where a Web sit e resides on t he I nt ernet . Your dom ain nam e has a num eric equivalent t hat m ight look som et hing like 67.80.99.34 I SP: I nt ernet Service Provider. These are t he com panies t hat help connect us and provide access t o t he World Wide Web. JPEG: A file form at used t o share im ages over t he Web ( t he ot her popular form at is a GI F) . JPEGs t end t o show colors and phot ographic im ages bet t er, and t herefore are m ore desired by edit ors for print publicat ions. Edit ors will usually covert JPEGs int o TI FFs, which are am ong t he m ore popular print form at s. Se r ve r : A com put er where t he files needed t o creat e a Web sit e reside. When a user looks for a Web sit e, he or she is sending a m essage t o t he server, which t hen displays t he necessary files.

St a gin g se r ve r : A com put er t hat is used t o display files or work before it 's published on t he Web. Com panies use t hese st aging servers int ernally t o allow client s or com pany execut ives t o preview work prior t o it going live on a Web sit e. 3 0 0 dpi: 300 dot s per inch is considered a high- resolut ion im age. The m ore dot s per inch, t he bet t er t he resolut ion and clarit y of t he im age. Edit ors t end t o ask for 300 dpi im ages t hat t hey can download from t he Web and t hen use for t heir print art icles. Addit ionally, m any Web graphics ( not m eant for print ) are creat ed at 72 dpi. Un iqu e u se r s: A calculat ion of t he num ber of users t o a sit e t hat avoids t he recount ing of repeat visit ors. URL: Uniform Resource Locat or; an address for a source on t he I nt ernet . When you t ype ht t p: / / www.t hesit esnam e.com , you are t yping a URL. W e b br ow se r : The program t hat allows people t o view t he Web. I nt ernet Explorer and Net scape Navigat or are popular exam ples. W e b log: A record of dem ographic inform at ion about t he visit ors t hat com e t o a sit e, including geography, pat hs t hrough t he sit e, and so on. Vide o on de m a n d: Video t hat is recorded t o t ape and t hen st ored on t he I nt ernet t o be viewed by users at any t im e. Alt hough t he video was t aped at an earlier point in t im e, t he users can view t he video on t he I nt ernet at t heir convenience.

PR REFLECTIONS: Tom Nolan of Publicis Dialog We asked Tom Nolan, a m anagem ent supervisor for t he public relat ions division of Publicis Dialog for his reflect ions on t he changing role of t he com m unicat or. Tom has m ore t han nine years of t echnology, business- t obusiness, and healt h- care public relat ions experience. He has m anaged publicit y cam paigns and served as lead m edia placem ent specialist for several Fort une 500 corporat ions. I 'm approaching m y t ent h year in t he public relat ions indust ry, put t ing m e right in t he m iddle of t he j ob experience pack—not yet t he level of longt erm vet eran, but far from a " wet behind t he ears" rookie. However, I j oined t he indust ry j ust as it was st art ing t o undergo a m assive change and I was able t o experience first hand t he t rem endous growt h of PR over t he last decade, put t ing us where we are t oday. The 90s PR wave saw new firm s sprout ing up all over t he count ry and inhouse corporat e com m unicat ions st affs increasing. Salaries st art ed t o rise and expert s in PR niche areas ( such as new m edia and crisis com m unicat ions) were being sought out . For m yself, t he m ost revealing

t hing was t he reduct ion in peculiar " explain t o m e again what you do for a living" looks I was receiving from m y wife and fam ily m em bers. The biggest change, of course, cam e from t he expansion of t he I nt ernet —it not only changed how t o approach PR st rat egies, but it dram at ically increased t he num ber of m edia out let s t o t arget . Public relat ions and t he I nt ernet are a perfect m at ch, as t he init ial idea of t he World Wide Web was t o creat e a place t o find inform at ion and t he idea of public relat ions is t o supply inform at ion. I n fact , as t he I nt ernet evolved, so did public relat ions. Despit e all t he changes and growt h over t he last 10 years, at it s core, public relat ions is t he sam e t oday as it was when I t ook m y first ent ry- level j ob. The basic concept is st ill t o spread t he word about an idea, com pany, person, et c., t hrough ongoing m edia act ivit ies designed t o generat e press coverage. The t act ics m ay change, but t he obj ect ives are st ill t he sam e. The opport unit y for press coverage is great er t han ever t oday because of t he increased num ber of m edia out let s. However one of t he issues public relat ions professionals m ust st ill cont end wit h is a client who want s a big m edia placem ent , and feels t he best way t o do it is t o bom bard t he press wit h m eaningless com pany news. The t hrow- everyt hing- against - t he- walland- hope- som et hing- st icks t heory is sim ply bad PR. Not everyt hing is newswort hy and every com pany act ivit y does not need a press release. The deluge of unim port ant news it em s has creat ed t ension bet ween PR pros and t he press. Most of m y success wit h t he m edia has com e from only pit ching it em s t hat have som e news value. Addit ionally, offering exclusives ( report ers love t hat —t he last t hing t hey want t o see is t heir st ory in four ot her publicat ions) and being fam iliar wit h t he m agazine and t he report er's work are also essent ial. The idea is t o work wit h t he press, not against t hem . A perfect exam ple of bad PR was during t he dot - com rage. As I said, t he I nt ernet changed t he PR indust ry, but bot h received deserved black eyes during t he lat e 90s dot - com boom and subsequent bust . I t seem ed every st art up I nt ernet com pany was paying a public relat ions agency t o prom ot e t heir product s and new business m odels, in order t o secure m illions in seed invest m ent s. When it becam e evident t o t he m edia t hat t he m aj orit y of t hese com panies had not hing t o show but " vaporware," t he backlash began. Hopefully t he indust ry has learned it s lesson in t he post –dot - com era. I t 's an int erest ing environm ent in t oday's PR world and I know t he profession will cont inue t o grow, sim ply because people will cont inue t o read. TV will cont inue t o be wat ched. The Web will cont inue t o be surfed. I t 's been an excit ing 10 years and I can't wait t o see what t he next decade has in st ore.

PR REFLECTIONS: Ed Emerman of Eagle Public Relations We asked Ed Em erm an, president of Eagle Public Relat ions in Princet on, New Jersey, for his reflect ions on t he changing role of t he com m unicat or. Wit h m ore t han 20 years of experience in hum an resources, insurance, and healt h- care PR, Ed t ouched on som e key issues wit h change and t he m edia in t his essay t hat he's t it led, " Technology & Com m unicat ion wit h t he Media." Wit hout quest ion, t echnology has had m ore im pact on t he public relat ions indust ry t han any ot her developm ent in t he 20 years t hat I 've been involved in t his business. And for t he m ost part , t echnological advancem ent s have enabled public relat ions professionals t o do t heir j obs m ore efficient ly. Take, for exam ple, how t echnology has changed t he way we com m unicat e wit h t he m edia. I can recall back in t he 1980s, having a t eam of PR professionals m anually st uffing news releases int o envelopes, handwrit ing personal not es t o each one, and t hen bringing t hem t o t he m ailroom t o send out . Crit ical m edia m ight be fort unat e enough t o have a m essenger personally deliver t he release t o t hem . Fax m achines ult im at ely im proved t he process, but even t hat m et hod of t ransm it t ing releases has becom e a dinosaur t hanks t o e- m ail and t he use of elect ronic dist ribut ion services. But t his t echnology has also creat ed headaches, or should I say challenges, t oo. Som e report ers st ill insist on receiving press releases via snail m ail. Ot hers want t hem faxed int o t he newsroom . Send a release by e- m ail t o cert ain report ers and it 's likely t o be greet ed wit h t he delet e but t on. Ot her report ers who accept e- m ail insist on news releases t hat are past ed int o an e- m ail m essage rat her t han sent as an at t achm ent . The end result ? PR pros need t o keep t abs on how t o best com m unicat e wit h report ers … easier said t han done. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Chapter 15. Looking Ahead Technology t ears down walls and aids collaborat ion. New t ools like inst ant m essaging and wireless devices have PR pot ent ial. 3D graphics prom ise help in explaining com plex t opics. Managem ent soft ware aim s t o m ake PR firm s sm art er and answer calls for account abilit y. What com es aft er t he I nt ernet ? I f you accept our prem ise t hat t he I nt ernet has changed public relat ions—and t he ent ire business world—forever, t hen t he nat ural quest ion is, " What com es next ?" I f we were any good at forecast ing t echnology t rends, we'd probably have becom e rich invest ors a long t im e ago and ret ired from t he public relat ions and j ournalism businesses. Obviously, no one can say wit h any cert aint y what new t ools PR professionals can expect t o int egrat e int o t heir st rat egies in t he next t hree t o five years, but it 's always fun t o speculat e. What follows are som e t hings t hat we t hink are wort h wat ching, plus som e suggest ions we received from academ ics and PR pract it ioners. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

More Collaboration One popular predict ion is t hat physical barriers bet ween PR people and t heir client s and bet ween PR people and j ournalist s will cont inue t o be surm ount ed wit h t echnology. Several PR people t old us t hat net works—oft en called ext ranet s—t hat link t oget her PR firm s and t heir client s would grow in popularit y. They said t hey ant icipat ed great er use of collaborat ive t echnology t hat enables a PR person and a client t o work on t he draft of a press release t oget her. Such applicat ions allow a PR person in New York t o writ e a draft and t he client in Missouri t o edit t he docum ent im m ediat ely. Jennifer Guberm an, direct or of inform at ion services for Magnet Com m unicat ions in New York, t old us t hat t he dem and for ext ranet s and collaborat ion cannot be ignored because it is com ing from client s. " Client s really want t hat abilit y t o collaborat e," she said. " Client s are expect ing m ore access and int eract ion t han t hey did previously." Journalist s and PR people aren't going t o be edit ing docum ent s t oget her in t he fut ure, but several PR professionals t old us t hat t hey expect ed great er use of I nt ernet conferencing t echnologies like WebEx or PlaceWare t hat enable people t o m eet over t he I nt ernet . Audio and video of t he t wo part ies can be supplem ent ed wit h PowerPoint slides and ot her m at erials t hat help t he PR person and t he client explain t heir product or service offering. As we not ed in Chapt er 9, videoconferencing over t he I nt ernet has picked up m om ent um because of im proving t echnology and t he declining econom y of t he new m illennium , which have caused m any PR client s and m edia organizat ions t o cut back on t ravel expenses. Anot her t ool t hat brings part ies t oget her and aids collaborat ion is inst ant m essaging. We not ed in Chapt er 2 t hat it is ext rem ely popular am ong young people who m ight bring it wit h t hem t o t he business world in t he near fut ure. What we've heard from a few PR pract it ioners is t hat inst ant m essaging is already being used as a way t o handle quick quest ions bet ween colleagues in rem ot e locat ions and bet ween PR firm s and t heir client s, furt hering st rengt hening t he collaborat ive bond. Few PR professionals said t hey ant icipat ed inst ant m essages becom ing a popular m eans of com m unicat ing wit h j ournalist s. Most t old us t hey expect ed j ournalist s t o be unwilling t o share t heir I M addresses wit h t hem and we t end t o agree t hat few, if any, j ournalist s we know would be willing t o accept inst ant m essages from PR people. However, Rory J. O'Connor, vice president for st rat egic com m unicat ions at Dit t us Com m unicat ions in Washingt on, DC, is a form er j ournalist who t hinks PR professionals could develop inst ant m essaging services for which report ers would sign up. He suggest s, as an exam ple, t hat a com pany t hat is t he subj ect of a Congressional hearing m ight offer an inst ant m essaging service t o report ers t hat enabled t hem t o get t he com pany's responses t o Congressional allegat ions on t heir cell phones and PDAs while t hey are st ill sit t ing at t he press t able in t he hearing room . Report ers m ight also be able t o ask quest ions of t he com pany's PR t eam via inst ant m essaging, O'Connor suggest s. O'Connor's exam ple point s up anot her em erging t rend cit ed by several PR pract it ioners, which is t he growt h in t he use of handheld devices connect ed t o t he I nt ernet . Several PR people point out t hat t he devices have t rem endous value int ernally as a m eans by which t raveling PR reps can rem ain connect ed t o e- m ail.

They can also be used t o get inform at ion t o a client 's CEO who has consent ed t o do an int erview while on t he road. I nst ant m essaging can also be used during t he int erview t o rem ind t he execut ive of im port ant point s t o m ake. Report ers are also using t he devices as a m eans of doing research when t hey are away from t heir offices. Magnet 's Guberm an says her firm is responding t o t his developm ent by encouraging client s t o offer t ext - only versions of t he docum ent s on it s Web sit e t hat can be t ransferred and displayed on a sm all device m uch m ore easily t han can regular Web pages laden wit h im ages, anim at ion, and ot her feat ures. She not es t hat offering t he t ext - only opt ion is also appreciat ed by PC owners who st ill have slow dial- up connect ions t o t he I nt ernet and by visually im paired people who rely on t ext - reading soft ware t o use t he I nt ernet . " You do want t o reach t he m ost people," Guberm an not es.

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Richer Presentations At t he sam e t im e, however, m any ot her PR professionals t ell us t hat t echnology is pulling t hem in t he ot her direct ion—away from t ext and t oward richer inform at ion services. Press releases wit h im ages and video are already becom ing m ore popular and t hat t rend will surely cont inue. St eve Capoccia, general m anager of Lewis PR in Newt on, Massachuset t s, t old us t hat creat ing videos is so easy and inexpensive t hat it has t o cat ch on. His firm uses a Sony cam corder and a Macint osh com put er running iMovie soft ware t o creat e quick, int roduct ory video clips t hat can be shared online wit h prospect ive client s and j ournalist s. He says im provem ent s in com pression t echnology are elim inat ing t he j erky pict ures t hat t urned som e people against online video in t he past . The last hurdle for m any people, he says, will be get t ing com fort able wit h being on cam era and not worrying about t heir appearance or where t hey should be looking. " People are afraid of video because t hey don't know how t o behave wit h it ," Capoccia says. Ot her pract it ioners, such as Magnet 's Guberm an, go beyond video in t heir visions of fut ure press releases. She says t hat im proving bandwidt h and t he ever- increasing processor speeds on PCs will m ake it possible in t he next t wo years for PR people t o include 3D dem onst rat ions in a client 's online pressroom or as an at t achm ent t o a press release. She not es t hat iPI X im aging t echnology already enables Web users t o t ake " virt ual t ours" of som e rest aurant s and resort s and virt ual realit y soft ware is used t o enable an I nt ernet user t o feel like he or she is walking t hrough a m useum and handling art ifact s. O'Connor of Dit t us Com m unicat ions agrees t hat virt ual realit y soft ware packages like QuickTim e VR prom ise t o help PR people com m unicat e m ore effect ively. He suggest s, for exam ple, t hat a 3D sim ulat ion of a blowout would be great t o support a safet y cam paign for a t ire m anufact urer t hat urges consum ers t o keep t heir t ires properly inflat ed. " There's all kinds of new possibilit ies," he says. Professor Jam es S. O'Rourke, I V, of t he Mendoza College of Business at t he Universit y of Not re Dam e, says PR people should be t hinking of how t o com m unicat e effect ively wit h people who learn in different ways. " I f you can't say it t o t hem , you m ay be able t o show it t o t hem ," he says, not ing t hat research has found t hat som e people learn best by seeing or hearing rat her t han t hrough reading. O'Rourke says som e of t he t echnology t hat could help PR people creat e visualizat ions m ight be right under our noses. " Look at t he gam ing business," he says. " That 's becom ing m ore and m ore sophist icat ed."

[ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Blogs Are Coming We not ed in Chapt er 10 t hat t he I nt ernet is always capable of sprout ing new discussion groups or bullet in boards where your client m ight find it self bloodied or praised. Laura Goldberg of Trylon Com m unicat ions in New York predict s t he growt h of Weblogs—oft en referred t o as blogs—t hat feat ure discussions of t he lat est news in a part icular area of int erest . I n an August 2002 art icle for PRSA Tact ics Magazine, she and colleague Lloyd Trufelm an referred t o Slashdot ( slashdot .org ) as an influent ial t echnology blog and t o a pop- cult ure blog called Plast ic ( plast ic.com ) . They recom m ended t hat PR people t read carefully in such forum s, which have not t radit ionally been welcom ing t o com m ercial int erest s. A t radit ional pit ch let t er m ight not be appropriat e, t hey wrot e, but it m ight be okay t o m ake a blog owner aware of links t o som e m edia coverage your client has received. Trufelm an and Goldberg not ed t hat blog owners t end t o read each ot her's blogs, so a m ent ion on one blog can be picked up on ot hers and help get your m essage out . Drew Peloso, m eanwhile, t hinks blogs are m ost valuable t o PR people as knowledgecapt uring forum s t hat t he PR people can creat e on t heir own. Peloso, CEO of Onclave I nc. in Princet on, New Jersey, is developing soft ware for PR professionals t hat would equip t hem t o set up blogs for t heir client s. He says blogs m ight be part icularly helpful as a crisis m anagem ent t ool because t hey can be updat ed regularly and provide people wit h an opport unit y t o post t heir own com m ent s. The goal, he not es, is t o creat e a place where people feel com fort able cont ribut ing inform at ion and where t hey see t he host com pany as a t rust ed source of reliable inform at ion, which t hey don't have t o go out and collect on t heir own. " What people appreciat e m ore t han anyt hing on t he I nt ernet is som eone saving t hem t im e," says Peloso. He also suggest s t hat blogs could be used as com m unicat ions t ools bet ween PR firm s and t heir client s. People on bot h sides of t he relat ionship would part icipat e in a blog t hat report s on a part icular t opic of int erest and could share t heir im pressions and expert ise wit h each ot her, Peloso says. Anot her innovat ion t hat could affect public relat ions professionals is t he concept of personalized newspapers. Walt er Bender is a professor in t he MI T Media Lab who is st udying t he idea of creat ing newspapers t hat are t ailored t o t he int erest s of t he reader and deliver relevant art icles from publishers all across t he I nt ernet . This concept of t he " Daily Me," as Bender calls it , has ram ificat ions for PR pract it ioners, who would be wise t o figure out how t o becom e cont ribut ors of art icles t hat would be delivered direct ly t o consum ers wit h a high degree of int erest in a part icular t opic. We m ust int erj ect t hat alt hough we find personalized newspapers t o be an at t ract ive idea, we've yet t o see a viable business m odel at t ached t o such effort s. Advert ising is not going t o carry t he day and successful subscript ion- based effort s online are st ill quit e rare. [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

Better Management Anot her area where we see t echnological advancem ent s of value t o public relat ions is in soft ware int ended t o help PR people do t heir j obs bet t er. Magnet 's Guberm an point s out t hat m any PR firm s would benefit from knowing m ore about what t heir em ployees know. She says she expect s t o see knowledge m anagem ent soft ware used t o keep t rack of t he work hist ory of a PR firm 's em ployees, a pract ice Magnet has already adopt ed. These dat a can be used in assigning em ployees t o various proj ect s so t hat t hey are chosen based on t heir fam iliarit y wit h an indust ry or t heir knowledge of a client or it s com pet it ors, she says. Alt hough sm art er use of hum an resources is a goal wort h pursuing, t here is probably even m ore t o be gained by t urning t o t echnology t o aut om at e so m uch of t he record keeping t hat PR people do. Wit h client s so eager in recent years t o calculat e t he ROI for t heir PR dollars, t echnology t hat provides PR firm s wit h an aut om at ed way t o keep t rack of t heir cont act s wit h report ers is in t he works. Pet er Granat , senior vice president of MediaMap, t old us in 2002 t hat his com pany was developing a suit e of applicat ions t hat would help PR people keep t rack of t heir cont act s wit h report ers—on t he phone, t hrough t he m ail, or across t he I nt ernet —and assess t he out com es of t hose cont act s. He likened t he soft ware t o cust om er relat ionship m anagem ent soft ware t hat is used by m any com panies t o t rack every cont act t hey have wit h a cust om er, whet her it 's on t he Web, in person, or t hrough a cust om er service phone call. " PR is one of t he m ost relat ionship- int ensive businesses," Granat said. " We're looking at capt uring as m any of t hose int eract ions wit h t he m edia as possible." He says int eract ions could be capt ured when a PR person m akes a record of a phone call or a fax t ransm ission or when t he PR firm 's com put ers e- m ail a press release t o a report er. Granat acknowledges t hat report ers' foot print s are hard t o t rack in m ost online pressroom s where visit ors rem ain anonym ous, but he suggest s t hat t he growing popularit y of t arget ed opt - in newslet t ers will allow a PR firm t o know what has been delivered t o a report er. MediaMap aim s t o supplem ent t his library of cont act s wit h m onit oring act ivit ies in part nership wit h Fact iva t hat are aim ed at assessing what is writ t en or broadcast about a client , Granat said. Having an assessm ent of all t he input s ( cont act s) and out put s ( clippings) should enable users of MediaMap's soft ware t o calculat e t he frequent ly request ed ROI figures. O'Connor of Dit t us sees anot her opport unit y t o help PR people do t heir j obs bet t er in pot ent ial soft ware product s for creat ing m edia list s. He ant icipat es t hat vendors will soon creat e soft ware t hat let s a PR person t ake an elect ronic list ing from a m edia direct ory and easily annot at e it wit h his or her own com m ent s about t he report er's publicat ion and personal preferences. I deally, O'Connor says, t he soft ware would help a PR professional t arget t he list by rem oving t he nam es of report ers who do not respond in som e way t o earlier m ailings. A final ant icipat ed innovat ion com es in t he area of search t echnology, where research is being done on bet t er ways t o find what an I nt ernet user is looking for wit hout all t he useless m at erial t hat oft en ends up in a list of search result s. Many

t echnology researchers t alk about t he em ergence of sm art soft ware agent s t hat a user would inst ruct t o go across t he I nt ernet in search of part icular bit s of inform at ion. Dennis Chom insky at PFS Market wyse says sm art er searching would benefit PR people in t heir research on prospect ive client s, client s' com pet it ors, j ournalist s, and so fort h. " There is st ill a t on of inform at ion t hat hasn't m ade it 's way on t o t he I nt ernet ," he point s out . " When and if it 's ever possible t o get t hat inform at ion online, t he need for advanced search feat ures and program m able agent s will be even m ore valuable t han we realize t oday." [ Team LiB ]

[ Team LiB ]

A Tool Is a Tool As we bring t his book t o a close, it probably provides no com fort t o t he reader t o recognize t hat t he t rem endous changes t he I nt ernet has brought t o public relat ions are likely t o cont inue as t echnologist s com e up wit h ways t o help us work sm art er and m ore efficient ly. I ndeed, it seem s as if t here is never t im e t o cat ch one's breat h before we're running t o cat ch up wit h t he lat est innovat ion. As Magnet 's Guberm an t old us, client s are now a lot m ore t echnology savvy and will be dem anding t hat PR firm s provide t hem wit h t he best t ools for t heir cam paigns. At t he sam e t im e it is im port ant t o rem em ber t he principle wit h which we st art ed t his book: No t echnology can replace a sm art public relat ions st rat egist and a poor st rat egist cannot hide behind t he t echnology for t oo long. The I nt ernet enables you t o get your client 's m essage out quickly and t o m ake it accessible around t he globe 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The I nt ernet in m any ways t akes over t he dist ribut ion role filled by PR professionals in t he past . However, t he m ore im port ant st rat egy- m aking role is st ill reserved for t he hum ans, and it is now m ore im port ant t han ever t hat t he st rat egy you develop is properly execut ed in every press release, every Web sit e feat ure, and every e- m ailed correspondence. Those st rat egies need t o be solid, j ust as t hey were in t he days of t ypewrit ers and t elegram s. All t he t echnology in t he world is not going t o save a PR cam paign t hat is fundam ent ally flawed. You st ill need a st ory t hat is wort h t elling, a list of m edia cont act s t hat is carefully researched, and an at t ent ion- grabbing hook t hat no com put er could ever generat e. [ Team LiB ]