The shrinking media landscape. The pitches that generate zero response. The new technologies that allow for a more direct conversation and instant gratification. As PR folks, the growing question on our minds is should we stop trying to engage with the media at all? I’m not blaming anyone here, so if you are a member of the media and reading this, please don’t think that I think it is your fault. As we’ve discussed before media relations throughout history has been difficult to measure and…
Here it comes. We’re seeing the first of what will likely be a wave of backlash against content marketing. Specifically the concerns, some understandable, that we will begin experiencing a content “overload” of sorts. And it is no wonder given the number of companies, organizations and agencies dipping their toes – or jumping in head first – into the content pool. Here are some thoughts on how you can avoid creating “content shock” for your audiences: Do your research: If you are just sending out…
In my last blog post, I focused on the “earned” piece of the EOP (earned, owned, paid) public relations model, talking about the three reasons why earned media, or “media relations,” is still important. And the truth is most people still “get” media relations. It is one of the foundations that PR is built on and what most people expect PR to be. Public relations people make people famous, they get stories placed in the paper, on TV, etc. But when you start trying to…
So there I was in a new business meeting and I found myself trying to talk the potential client out of doing a media relations campaign as a possible tactic. Then days later I was in a client meeting downplaying the effectiveness of media relations in achieving the client’s ultimate goal. That’s a 180-degree turn from a guy who has made his reputation the “media relations guy.” As has been well documented on this blog, the art and practice of media relations is more difficult…
This is the blog post I promised myself I’d never write. I promised myself I’d stay out of the Monday morning peloton-breakaway debates over whether Richmond 2015 was worth the effort, the cost and the inconvenience. The main reason? The Hodges Partnership counts Richmond 2015 as a client, having worked closely with the group in the years leading up to the race. We were paid a monthly fee during that time time but we also donated a fair number of hours to the cause. A…
There really are no words. More than 30 years ago I started my television news career in the Roanoke-Lynchburg market working for the “Lynchburg station” WSET-13 out of the Roanoke bureau. We had three people (two reporters and a videographer) in our office. Across the street was the headquarters of “Your Hometown Station” WDBJ-7. They were, and still are, the model small-to-medium market news and television operation that others can just aspire to be. They had reporters and anchors who never left because they were…
7.8 billion. Those of us in PR and marketing immediately knew there was a problem because we’ve all experienced it before. How do you reasonably measure the success of media exposure? It’s the age old question. It’s a question that once again reared its ugly head when reports circulated that the Redskins claimed more than 7.8 billion people (that’s more than the total population of the earth) were exposed to stories of the 2014 Redskins training camp in Richmond. It was the Redskins’ version of…
After sitting through hundreds if not thousands of public relations new business meetings, I’ve come to (at least) one universal conclusion: Potential clients wait until the absolute last minute to decide that they need to work with a PR firm. I really don’t know why this is the case. It doesn’t happen (as much) to our advertising brothers and sisters who are usually given months to do research, generate creative treatments, present final ideas, place media and then track results. Perhaps it’s because folks still…
So where did the first half of 2015 go? You blink and six months are gone. We’ve been busy on many levels—not only in workload but in making some fundamental changes to our agency: what we do and how we do it. These changes mirror what’s going on in the PR industry and marketing in general. Our clients count on us to stay abreast of the latest tools and technology of the trade. While we still do work that you’d expect a traditional PR firm…
It’s was only a matter of time. In fact I had three conversations this week about it before it happened telling folks it would be here before the end of the year. And it’s not like I’m that smart—it was just inevitable. Instagram is about to open up the floodgates. As reported in outlets like The New York Times and explained in more detail in places like TechCrunch, the marriage of Instagram and Facebook is leading to what will likely become a very profitable offspring….
We are very proud to announce a new assignment from one of Richmond’s premier companies, Connexions Loyalty. With a large workforce in Richmond and 800 associates worldwide, Connexions Loyalty manages some of the world’s largest customer-loyalty programs, delivering more than $2 billion in rewards and incentives annually. The integrated public relations assignment will focus primarily on business-to-business content marketing. We will be working with Connexions Loyalty to help tell its story to customers and prospects around the world. “At its core, content marketing is about…
We’re very happy to announce the signing of Alexandria Renew Enterprises as a new THP client. Our work for Alexandria Renew will focus on the “owned media” practice of content strategy and creation. It also continues to expand the THP client footprint into Northern Virginia, part of our goal to work with great clients through the Commonwealth. AlexRenew operates one of the most advanced wastewater reclamation facilities in the United States, serving the City of Alexandria and redefining what it means to be an environmental…