Public Relations
You’re So Shallow: Balance Your Marketing Efforts with What’s on the Inside—Internal Communication
Monday, August 24th, 2009 | Internal Communication, Marketing, Public Relations | No Comments
As marketers, we are shallow and superficial. We work tirelessly to unveil our prized marketing campaigns to external audiences, but we fail to promote these campaigns internally, thus losing out on much needed field support and brand advocacy.
We all know that branding starts with frontline employees, and if they are not reflecting your brand, it could undercut your efforts to grow the company.
A few years back, I was working in the marketing department of a medium-sized corporation with a growing PR program. We were beginning to tackle bylined article placements and securing sources for trade articles, but when we would call our resident specialists, they would fail to return phone calls or even cooperate with our requests.
This problem stemmed from the lack of education about the PR function and the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) for helping out with the aforementioned articles.
After developing an internal communication vehicle where we could feature our latest PR and marketing efforts as well as explain a little more about the PR function, we started to see a rise in employee cooperation. Employees were now able to see the value in serving as a source for an article or writing a bylined article. They were able to see how a single placement could skyrocket their credibility.
By using internal communication mediums to better inform employees of marketing initiatives, you can produce an internal troop of brand evangelists and foster much-needed marketing support.
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Reggie the Green Gorilla Gave Me a Banana but Never Called
Thursday, April 16th, 2009 | Public Relations, Social Media | 2 Comments
It was April 1, 2009—April Fool’s Day—and I was going about my day avoiding any possible pranks and staying clear of mischief. Around lunchtime, our office receptionist buzzed me informing me that a guy named Phil was there to see me. Phil? I immediately told the receptionist to send him away as I am used to solicitors showing up trying to sell products or services. But Phil didn’t budge. The receptionist told me he wasn’t going away and I should come to the front and greet him.
As I approached this foreign Phil character, I was greeted with a hand shake-and a banana. “This is from Reggie the Green Gorilla,” Phil said. “You’ll understand what this is all about very soon.”
Phil smirked, said goodbye and walked out the glass doors.
As I stood there, holding a banana and questioning what just happened, I noticed a green and black yin and yang sticker on the banana. I walked back to my office trying to put the pieces together and started guessing what this all could possibly be about.
Do I have a stalker? Is someone trying to sell me quality organic bananas? Is the yin and yang sticker a sign that my work-life balance is skewed?
Determined to curb my befuddlement, I tapped into Twitter to see if anyone has an answer to this jungle-themed game of Clue. After no more than a few hours, @blake05 responded with the answer: Reggie the Green Gorilla is the untraditional mascot of David and Sam PR, a Phoenix-based boutique PR agency.
And there it was. I had nailed down the suspect, but I still didn’t have a motive. Was this some clever, passive aggressive tactic to get my company’s business? Was this a humorous brand awareness campaign?
It’s been more than two weeks and I still have no explanation as to why I was the proud recipient of an overly ripe banana. For my peace of mind, I am seeking answers—answers from you, David and Sam PR. Feel free to fill me in on your game @sarahellis.
Though I don’t know much about this caper, there is one thing I do know: The banana was delicious.
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