I’m going through this process right now, trying to decide if our financial model makes sense for the future. I feel like billable hours is so archaic, but I also think we need to track time in order to be profitable. We are paid for our time so some sort of tracking mechanism is a necessary evil.

I’ve always been of the belief that you would never go into a restaurant, eat a meal, and at the end say to the chef, “That meal was fantastic – thank you so much! I’ll tell you what; if I don’t get heartburn tonight, I’ll send you a check in the morning.” So why do people always want to do that with our invoices, AFTER they’ve negotiated a program, the fees, and paid a couple of previous invoices?  Rather than be stubborn about it, though, I’m on the look-out for new ideas.

Therefore, I was interested to read “Coke Pushes Pay-for-Performance Model” in AdAge and “Changes Afoot in Professional Billing Rates” in The Australian Business.

The genesis of both articles is that clients want to know how advertising, PR, social media, marketing…all communication methods translate back to results. It’s the day old question, but now instead of shrugging our shoulders and saying, “But your brand awareness is off the charts!” we’re being held accountable for true bottom-line results.

So, you say, who determines the value? What do we do about the time it takes to ramp-up with a new client? Does this offend the PRSA Code of Ethics? Do you think we’ll try this and go back to the way things are now? Or will we do it only if forced by our clients?

Last night I attended the PRSA Chicago senior leaders event, where Helen Ostrowski, the chairman and CEO of Porter Novelli, was honored.

She discussed an Arthur Page Society meeting at which Jeff Immelt spoke and said the most important thing leaders can do right now is be present.

Be present.

That means all of the advice we give our clients…

• Get out of your office and walk around
• Lead by communicating
• Attend staff meetings
• Discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly
• Be the first one to arrive and the last one to leave
• Don’t take vacation or work from home

…is applicable to all of us.

Be present.

We went to the PRSA social media luncheon earlier this week, and it turned out to be pretty interesting. And the food was good, for a change! We weren’t going to blog about this. But yesterday, we saw that one of the panelists, the Chicago Tribune’s Eric Benderoff, blogged on it. As if that wasn’t a sign we should jump in, the comments on his blog got us talking.

Molli: Did Cyrano just call Eric a knucklehead?

Brigitte: Pretty much. Didn’t he realize he was commenting on a blog?

Continue Reading »

Blog written by Maggie Hassler

According to PR Week, Greenpeace recently visited Lexis PR, JCPR and Ogilvy PR urging the three PR agencies representing Unilever’s Dove brand to help persuade Unilever to stop using unsustainable palm oil. Greenpeace’s “Burning Up Borneo” report claims that Unilever is responsible for the destruction of Indonesia‘s rainforests through chosen suppliers. Greenpeace targeting Unilever’s public relations firms as agents of influence and change brings up an interesting question: Are public relations organizations and individuals responsible for their client’s practice?

According to the Public Relations Society of America Member Code of Ethics, a public relations professional committed to ethical practices is to uphold the core value of honesty.  This value requires members to “adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public.”

With this in mind, I argue that public relations organizations and individuals are not responsible for client practice or pursuing change of said practice.  Rather, public relations agencies and professionals are responsible for transparency and accuracy when dealing with media and the public.  It is ultimately the consumer’s decision to purchase products and services they are informed about.

Blog written by Shawn M. Kahle, APR

Public relations is a profession of words and actions.  Without words, our efforts to inform, persuade, or engage ring hollow.  Unfortunately, there’s a tendency to rely on words as an elixir for all that ails us. 

Words.  We speak them, text them, write them, edit them, position them.  And we worry when we don’t hear the right words, or they don’t come quickly, nor exactly how we expect them to be said or written.

Our word-craving addictions sometimes get the best of us as individuals and as a profession.  We throw words at words.  We seek out advocacy strategies rather than action plans.

I love words and respect their necessity, wit, and power. 

Yet, it is hard to refute the maxim, “Actions speak louder than words.”

Time and time again my respect first goes to colleagues and acquaintances who act with purpose and compassion.  Like Missouri, “Show Me.”

Recently, there’s been much talk about what can be done to improve the reputation, understanding, and perceptions of the public relations profession.  Has there been enough action?  What can we do?

1)    Do you know a wonderful cause with limited donor support because too few are aware of the need?  Volunteer your time actively every week.

2)    Is a friend starting a business but cannot get the local paper to share the news?  Work as a pro-bono advisor to build an action plan for communication, one that draws customers and attracts interest.

3)    Are you tired of politicians who embarrass or disappoint?  Find a candidate who gives you hope, role up your sleeves and do the work to get elected – knock on doors, stuff envelops, work the phones, put some skin in the game.

4)    Elevate your professional skills by pursuing your accreditation in IABC or PRSA.  Why?  You will reflect, you will learn, and there’s a very good chance that you will gain an appreciation of the history and actions of the true pioneers who set the foundation for our contemporary words and actions.

5)    Mentor a student at a local high school or college who wants to enter the profession.  Pay the way for your student to attend a monthly luncheon or program of your local PRSA or IABC chapter.  Review resumes, pass along job leads, coach on interviewing skills.  Be the one who your student calls or emails for advice and support.

         6)    Recognize the actions of others – in your firm, at your local meetings – who are moving the profession forward through their                      personal community engagement or leadership. 

What do you suggest?  What are you going to do?

Show me.  Let’s grow the list.  Let’s create a true action plan.  Let’s talk less about what others say, and instead do what needs to be done.

That’s what’s best for the public relations profession.

Editor’s Note: We’re back after two weeks of holidays, family, and Colorado skiing!

It’s a new year and rather than talk about our New Year’s resolutions, we have three goals we want to achieve this year. But only one is pertinent to FADS.

Through PRSA Chicago, we are going to create an advocacy program for the PR industry.  Call it PR for the PR industry.

Interested in helping?  Comment here and I’ll get back to you immediately.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Harris Diamond at the annual PRSA Chicago leaders event earlier this week.  He was our honoree and spoke for a few minutes about how social media is changing the face of how we deliver information about our client’s products and services.

I won’t get the quote quite right from memory so I’ll paraphrase.  He said we’ve lost the filter that reporters used to provide to young public relations professionals.  If a young professional is speaking to a reporter about the issue of obesity, for instance, it used to be the reporter would check the facts before running a story.  Now a young PR pro can post information about obesity on a blog or Web site and the filter of fact checking no longer is there.

Now why is it a) that an inexperienced PR pro would have the opportunity to post anything about anything without having a filter for checking facts and b) that we’d rely so heavily on reporters to do our jobs for us that we even need to be worried about not having the reporter filter?  No wonder reporters think we’re flacks. 

Perhaps I’m taking his comments out of context, but it does make me wonder how we train our young professionals and help them gain credibility without the “flack” perception hanging over their heads?

One question I didn’t get to ask…Harris, what do you think is going to happen to the communications fields in light of the development of Dell and WPP creating the Da Vinci marcom agency?

(The event, by-the-way, was held at the new Freedom Museum in the Tribune building.  If you’re in Chicago and haven’t been, it’s a must see!  Thanks Gary Weitman for hosting us!)

One of my favorite business magazines just hurt my feelings.

In the December issue of Inc., there is an article about deskside briefings and how overused they are.

I’ll admit it; when I started my business nearly three years ago, NO ONE was doing deskside briefings.  At least not with the reporters we were talking to on behalf of our clients.  So I suggested our clients get out in front of their targeted reporters, in person.  And it worked.  It still works.

But according to the article, deskside briefings are just a fancy way of saying an interview.

“By constantly using different buzzwords, PR pros are doing what they do best: taking something commonplace and spiffing it up with shiny new language.”

That’s where my feelings got hurt.  What we do best?  Spiffing it up with shiny new language?  It’s not an interview.  An interview is a conversation between a reporter and your client about a specific topic or story.  A deskside briefing, which is what they have been called as long as I’ve been in the PR business, is an opportunity to meet a reporter and begin to establish a relationship.  If a PR person is selling it to their client as a guaranteed story, that is spin.

And I agree with Rhoda Weiss, chair and CEO of PRSA.  In this day and age when no one meets in person anymore, a deskside briefing is extremely effective.  Not only does it begin to build a relationship, but if your client and the reporter hit it off in person, the reporter is more likely to embrace the relationship and call your client for trusted source interviews…over and over and over again.

But trust me Ed2010, we won’t be calling you to see if you’d like to meet any of our clients.  Everyone knows bloggers don’t want to actually meet people in person.

If you live in Chicago and missed the monthly PRSA lunch yesterday, you missed out!  I’m not saying that because I lead the organization this year.  I’m willing to admit some programs are good, some not so good.  But this one – this one was special!

The topic was ethical dilemmas in PR and media and the panel consisted of Cindy Richards, who is now a freelance writer, and wrote most recently for the Sun-Times; Michele Weldon from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University; and Roe Conn from WLS Radio.  Our own Scott Farrell, managing director at Golin-Harris, moderated the discussion.

The recent Amy Jacobsen scandal began the conversation and led to a discussion of how ethics and credibility affect what we do every day as PR people.

The panel was excellent and they discussed what it means to have relationships with reporters without crossing boundaries.  They also discussed what it meant to be a source for a reporter in good and bad times.  My favorite part was when the moderator steered the conversation from whether or not Amy should have been in a bikini and Roe Conn said, “Oh!  Are you still here?”

What do you think the difference is between theory and practical ethics in how we do our jobs?  Have you ever been in a situation that a client asked you to relay (or not relay) information to a reporter that you found offended your ethics?  What did you do?

Please forgive me as I brag that I “had” to go to Mexico for the PRSA Counselors Academy conference.  Hey, I didn’t organize it (at least not this year)!  The photo above is of the lovely Westin, which is where the Conference was held.

Rather than talk about PR spin today, I thought I’d list the top 10 PR lessons I learned while in Cabo.

1. Creating client service teams around your staff’s passions makes for a much more fun work environment.

2. Asking your staff once a quarter what they love about working for your company helps with recruitment – you’re talking about reality and not just your vision with job candidates.

3. Emerging media is just that – constantly emerging and we have to stay on top of all of it, not just blogs, Wiki, and Second Life.

4. Robert Scoble is sheer genius; I mean, who creates celebrity status and makes money out of a passion?

5. Use emerging media on your business first; after all your agency should be your most important client.  Then create a case study to show how well it can work for your clients.  There are two firms I most admire in this area: Shift Communications and Eastwick Communications.

6. The big PR firms are becoming more integtrated – we should all consider it.

7. Running a business, even if the business does PR, is still running a business – the top people have to run the business and stay out of the day-to-day work.

8. Taking your firm international isn’t as scary as it seems.

9. When interviewing prospective employees, ask yourself “could this person do my job”?  If the answer is yes, hire them immediately.  If the answer is no, pass on them.

10. When you put a bunch of senior-level PR people in the room, they all want to share their success and failure.  But what is said in Cabo, stays in Cabo.

And three little things I learned from the mountain biking guides: When you bike down the mountain, don’t fall in a crevice, don’t fall off your bike, and don’t bleed – they don’t want to get their van dirty.