By Brenda Kahn
The good news is that public relations is on the rise as the most effective strategy for winning fans and customers, especially as consumers increasingly have the option of turning off online ads. The bad news is that it’s very difficult to get noticed these days amidst the sea of brands, products, messages and channels. These observations come from the keen mind of Edward Cotton, head of strategy and innovation at Butler, Shine, Stern and Partners, a Sausalito-based communications firm that counts MINI Cooper, Priceline, Google, Blue Shield of California and Greyhound as clients.
The above pro-PR trends notwithstanding, “the job has become a lot harder” for the PR professional, said Cotton, who spoke at the PR Round Table’s August lunch. “You don’t just churn out press releases anymore.” Not only is the sheer volume of brands and messages overwhelming, but also, the ground rules are shifting. For instance, editorial coverage is sometimes up for sale now, rather than being off-limits to the PR and advertising fields.
According to Cotton, no one would miss the majority of brands if they were to disappear, and the majority of people don’t trust most brands. “No one likes you,” Cotton said bluntly. How to counteract these forces? “Brands with ideas have power,” Cotton said, taking it one step further by advising companies to “connect to something bigger than yourself.” By way of example, he pointed to the Dove soap brand’s “real beauty” campaign, which celebrates normal women rather than the impossible-to-attain thin ideal. Nike’s “just do it” campaign also has strength and staying power, thanks to the underlying message that anyone and everyone can be an athlete. Cotton also advised companies to own up to mistakes and shortcomings, open up by being candid, empower their users, do more and say less (by being a good corporate citizen without bragging about it), and “delight users” by offering something surprising and entertaining.
Cotton used historical data to demonstrate brand resilience among some of the larger corporate players in the aftermath of a crisis. “All brands bounce back,” he said. “The thing you think is a crisis is probably going to boil over.” With this point, Cotton is giving PR professionals license to worry less about fending off crises, and to spend more of their time, energy and creative juices on finding innovative and authentic ways to strengthen their clients amidst the deluge of brands, messages and channels.