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Media relations is a powerful communications vehicle. Through reporting, journalists can help improve lives, expose corruption, create laughter and deliver breaking news. I enjoy working with journalists on stories that educate and engage consumers about our clients’ latest endeavors. But lately, I’ve been in the uncomfortable position of educating media about their inaccurate reporting of açaí (ah-sigh-ee).

The dark purple berry, harvested in the Amazon, has been the subject of weight-loss scams, lawsuits, inaccurate environmental sustainability claims and false health reports. Media and consumers seem fascinated and perhaps overwhelmed by information about açaí. Type the word açaí into Google and an infinite number of links will appear. Yet, many journalists and consumers remain unclear about its real benefits. Why?

• The U.S. doesn’t have labeling standards for açaí. Many companies do not disclose how much açaí vs. other fruit make up their product blends.
• Even if a product label reads “açaí juice” in big bold letters or is listed as the first ingredient in the nutrition panel, it does not mean açaí juice is the main ingredient or that the juice has not been filtered or watered down with the pulp removed (which contains many of the nutrients).
  

This confusion will begin to clear when Sambazon (client), the global leader in açaí, launches a new consumer awareness campaign: Real Deal Açaí.The campaign will expose the lack of transparency in labeling açaí products, urging consumers to learn about types and amounts of açaí in products and asking companies to be transparent about what their products actually contain. The campaign will include an informational hang tag, a webpage and a nutrition spokesperson.

If you find yourself having to educate media about your clients’ products or services, it might be a good idea to follow Sambazon’s example and create an awareness campaign. If media don’t understand your product, chances are your consumer audience probably won’t either.

--Maureen O’Connell, Senior Account Supervisor

When brands look to enhance and extend the reach of their messages, they often turn to paid media tools. Whether for a product launch, company news, an event or a new campaign, audio news releases, radio or satellite media tours and b-roll distribution help PR professionals reach key target audiences. Although these tools are tried-and-true, over the years, they have evolved to include “new school” tools to account for the prevalence of online media:

• Blogger SMT: Similar to a traditional satellite media tour, this technique offers a spokesperson to bloggers during which an interview* is conducted live using a video conferencing technology such as Skype.
• Multi-Media News Release: This enhanced press release is a package* that combines a traditional release with photographs and video and is distributed to both on and offline media, in addition to video sharing websites.
• Online Videos: A more visual and creative way to tell a story, clients hope these videos* go “viral” and get picked up by online media nationwide.

But, by no means should old school techniques be considered obsolete. They can still be just as effective as newer options. It’s important to really understand who the target audience is and to look at all the tools offered to reach it in the most effective way.

--Jennifer Newberg, Senior Account Supervisor

*Cone client

When it comes to embarking on a media relations campaign and generating valuable coverage, I’m still surprised at how many in our profession prioritize their efforts and approach. I don’t know many folks who don’t consider themselves, or aspire to be, STRATEGIC.

Why is it, then, that too often strategy ends up on the cutting room floor?

• Focused media lists evolve into list with 500 contacts
• Quality coverage is sacrificed for quantity
• Coverage in a “cool” outlet becomes more important than coverage in the right outlet
• Speed is valued above thoughtful research and knowledge of the outlet and reporter
• Desperation for any result defeats dogged determination to get the big win
  

Sound familiar? It’s almost always the result of setting unrealistic expectations about impressions and coverage volume – sometimes by the client, sometimes by the agency and sometimes by both. Regardless of the reasons, we all feel the pressure to deliver results.

Sure, the media environment has changed. Non-traditional media play a more significant role, true “beats” have largely disappeared and the competition for coverage is fiercer than ever. But the basic tenets remain the same:

• Identify the business objective
• Define your audience(s)
• Solidify the message(s)
• Determine the best venues for reaching those audiences
  

Perhaps most importantly, though, make sure everyone – the client, stakeholders and the agency team – is aligned on the expectations. Collaborate on what success looks like, create a plan that maps to that success and then faithfully execute it. But be flexible and adapt to the situation. If something isn’t working, don’t toss away the strategy and just throw a bunch of stuff up against the wall to see what sticks. Think about new and creative ways to reach your goals.

The bottom line is we all want to be valued partners and counselors to our clients. And that sometimes means having courageous conversations about strategy, activation and results.
It can be uncomfortable, but we owe it to ourselves and our clients to ask the tough questions – “What’s important to you, quantity or quality?” – and give the unpopular opinions – “Oprah just isn’t going to care about this story.” Remember, be respectful and provide a rationale. They may not agree, but at least they’ll respect you.

--Marc Berliner, Vice President

It’s safe to say many of the media’s most influential editors and reporters are based in major markets like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. And, while brands can be successful communicating with these reporters via phone and email, there is nothing quite like a face-to-face meeting between a brand representative and a reporter to foster a fruitful relationship.

Brands can take several approaches to these meetings:

• Deskside Tours – a brand representative travels to the offices of several media outlets over the course of a day. Reporters often find these convenient because they don’t need to leave their offices and may even feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts about what your brand is presenting. But remember, deskside tours can be time consuming for the brand representative who has to get from place to place.
• Editor Events - editors gather in one location to hear an announcement from a brand. This format allows your brand representatives to speak to a variety of people in one location, but limits the amount of one-on-one interaction. It’s valuable if there are a lot of products to share (that don’t travel well) or if there is a spokesperson who has limited availability.
• Lunch Meetings. Of course, there are always good old fashion lunch meetings, coffee and drinks. This is encouraged when brands want to foster a deep relationship with a reporter – maybe they are offering him or her an exclusive – or if the reporter is a new contact and the brand would like to build a more personal rapport.

When planning for these meetings, here are a few things to think about:

• What type of media are you trying to reach? If it’s high-level business media, a CEO or senior level executive should be a part of the meetings. If it’s a lifestyle editor, an industry expert could be valuable.
• Is the reporter in high demand? If so, you may need to get creative with your meetings or events. If you are launching a nail polish, try offering her a manicure at the editor event, or if it’s a fashion product, consider planning a fashion show.
• What do you need to be prepared? For face-to-face meetings, it’s important to have any available press materials, key messages points, background information on the reporter and his or her recent stories. It is also helpful to develop sample Q&A, anticipating any tough questions the reporter may have. If your spokesperson is new to media interviews, he or she may require media training.

While a lot of planning often goes into face-to-face meetings, brands often experience positive results and find, in the long run, they’re well worth the effort. I know I have!

--Jennifer Newberg, Account Supervisor

As I worked out at my gym the other day, keeping an eye on the bank of 12 TVs set to different channels, I was a bit taken by what I observed. Were the various stations reporting on the massacre of four police officers in Washington? Sure, a little bit. Was there coverage of retail spending leading up to the holidays, including the critical Black Friday and Cyber Monday milestones? Yes, in small doses. How about the military build-up in Afghanistan? There was a mention or two. But none of these stories were the main focus.

You’re thinking it must be something big, really big, right? Well, no, not really. The story dominating those TV sets was this: Tiger Woods won’t talk to the Florida Highway Patrol and he’s skipping his charity golf tournament this week. Really? Is that really important news – so important that stations were rolling out every analyst and expert they could find to talk about legal implications, image implications, relationship implications?

Keep in mind, this is a story that involves a single-car accident with minor injuries and no damage to or crime against other parties – unless you count that poor fire hydrant and tree. Granted, Tiger is one of the most famous people in the world. And, if as first reported, he was seriously injured, this is a pretty big story with some legs. Not to mention this story probably would have gone away by now if Tiger had done what most PR professionals would have counseled: get out in front of the story and address what happened. He didn’t, and we’ve become a celebrity and gossip-obsessed culture. The media believe this is what we want to see. So the story dominates the news.

The bottom line is that a story with very little news value or impact on our society is stealing the spotlight from big stories – stories that shed light on real issues, stories that impact us and people we know, stories that people need to hear.

What does this mean for PR practitioners and the clients we represent? Well, it just reinforces the importance of going to the media with something of value to them and their audience. We need to make news. A promotional, look-at-me sales pitch will rarely cut it, especially when we’re competing against the likes of Tiger.

Shouldn’t we expect more? Don’t we deserve more? I say we do. I want to see and read about the news that really matters.

-- Marc Berliner, Director

The following originally appeared in Cone’s inConetext quarterly newsletter. To read current or past issues, visit our Web site.

It’s the age-old question for retailers: "How can we break through the clutter and get noticed in a positive way during the busy holiday season?" That was the challenge presented to us more than two years ago by Game Crazy, a national specialty games retailer. To differentiate the brand from other video game retailers and expand its reach beyond "hard-core" gamers, we developed a video game-themed holiday survey that played off a major gift-giver concern – purchasing gifts kids won’t enjoy. We leveraged the increasing interest in video games among "casual gamers" to create a campaign that educated consumers and set up Game Crazy as the brand that would help make them gift-giving heroes during the holidays.

Now in its third year, campaign results continue to grow. USA Today has written about the program three years in a row, and each year dozens of local-market TV segments feature store and district managers talking about the survey and offering purchasing tips for holiday shoppers. The campaign is also covered by video game and retail writers from major-market dailies and blogs. Game Crazy has several large competitors with deep pockets, but the seasonal campaign ensures Game Crazy’s voice is heard during the holidays thanks to proprietary, branded information and practical advice that appeals to media and consumers.”

-- Marc Berliner, Director

With the new FTC guidelines for online disclosure just around the corner, brands, agencies and bloggers are all doing their best to understand what this means for online reviews and product information. Jason Kottke successfully (and humorously) turned a 57-word blog post into 375 with the disclosures he included. At the same time, a new site launched which is trying to standardize the disclosure copy that bloggers, tweeters and other online content creators can use to disclose their association with a product or brand.

You’ll notice there are several “flavors” of disclosure – this is probably not the be-all-end-all solution, but if you are looking for ways to ensure your online contacts are being transparent, you may want to use this copy as a suggested starting point for the disclosure statement.

Certainly this is going to be an interesting aspect of the communications world to follow in the coming weeks and months. With the FTC more likely to slap a fine on the associated brand than the offending blogger, we can likely look forward to at least a few large brands serving as the unfortunate examples for the larger community of what might happen if the new guidelines are not followed. For many, disclosure has always been a part of how we as communications professionals do business – but these new guidelines certainly underscore the importance.

Many of us probably remember this popular bumper sticker from the 1990s, urging people to do their part for the environment in their community. These days, for me, the slogan speaks to how brands should practice the art of media relations in the communities in which they do business.

The “Think Globally” piece is easy. Think about all of the things going on in the world – the economic crisis, the explosion of social media, drivers keeping their vehicles longer, swine flu (the list goes on and on) – and how you can leverage these trends and topics to insert your brand into the conversation. The media are fragmented – it’s more challenging than ever to get press for your company, product or service. So, find a way to hitch your wagon to something they are already interested in. Before you pitch, think about how you can link your story to a broader trend.

What brands still need to master is the “Act Locally” piece. Despite the proliferation of online media, including the presence of even local newspapers on the Internet (in a way, making all news global), it’s more important than ever to localize your story. A generic pitch simply won’t fly 99 percent of the time, even if the story is compelling and timely. Many local media outlets are understaffed, and they just don’t have the time to localize your story for their readers, viewers and listeners. Don’t bother pitching the Des Moines Register (Iowa), the local ABC affiliate in Springfield, Massachusetts or the news talk radio station in Waco, Texas if you don’t make the story relevant to their communities.

Here are a few ways you can do it:

• Localize your materials – Make sure your pitch, press release, media alert and any other tools you use make the story relevant to the community you are pitching. For instance, reference a local statistic that supports the story you’re pitching.
• Provide a local twist – Offer the media an opportunity to speak with a company representative in their market – a store manager, a district manager or a franchisee.
• Let them hear from your customers – Media want to put a human face on a story. Provide the name of a local customer they can interview to bring the story to life.
• Use a local “pitcher” – When possible, have a local company representative send out the pitch, press release, etc. Local media are often more receptive to contact from local people rather than someone at national HQ. That doesn’t mean you can’t help manage the communication – for national initiatives, create press material templates that local representatives can fill in and distribute to local media.

Sure, localizing your story does take more time. But, it’s all about getting the best results. A well-researched, customized pitch to 10 outlets will yield more results – and better stories – than a generic pitch that’s blasted out to hundreds of outlets.

--Marc Berliner, Director

It’s an exciting time for media relations. In the ever-changing online world, there are new, creative ways to communicate instantaneously. Consumers are rapidly gaining control of the various lines of communication and demanding companies maintain a constant online presence. How do we stay relevant and lead strategic communications programs?

First, let’s get rid of all our media descriptors. It’s not traditional vs. social media or old and new media – it’s all media relations. We need to increase our expertise in all areas.

Second, let’s not just tweet because it’s the hottest method at the moment. Let’s first determine how best to achieve our clients’ objectives, identify our key audiences and then recommend which channels of communication will most effectively deliver results. For example, Pizza Hut has strategically employed social media to achieve its goals of engaging consumers and increasing sales. On the other hand, let’s not have a creative tactic, but poor strategy. Does anybody remember the company behind Elf Yourself?

Third, remember that consumers are now the media. They can influence our purchasing decisions quicker than a long-lead magazine can roll off the press and become brand evangelists overnight. So remember, the next blogger you pitch could be your next-door neighbor.

Despite these changes, the important rules in media relations remain the same: stay transparent by expressing accountability and maintaining honesty. And, we still need to spend time building relationships – getting to know all media and becoming a valued, trusted resource to each contact.

--Maureen O’Connell, Senior Account Supervisor

June was a great month for our clients in the media. We saw the most nominations for the Clip of the Month Award ever. Ten great placements faced off. Congratulations to Andrea List for securing coverage of The Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 in The New York Times.

Honorable mentions go to:

Amelia Ott for iVillage’s coverage of Jockey International

Amelia Ott & Erin Zwaska for Good Housekeeping’s coverage of Jockey International

Erin Zwaska for the Los Angeles Times’ “The Dish Rag” blog’s coverage of Jockey International

Farrell Klein for “Today’s” coverage of Chicco

Jennifer George for “Entertainment Tonight’s” coverage of Nestlé Pure Life

Jessica Pieciul for Food Network “Unwrapped’s” coverage of Ian’s Natural Foods

Jodi Housman for The Wall Street Journal’s coverage of Lemelson-MIT

Lindsay Harrington for “CBS Early Show’s” coverage of Deloitte

Lisen Syp for “The Ellen Degeneres Show’s” coverage of Chicco

A 24-minute interview with BBC’s HARDtalk host Stephen Sackur is a hard ticket to get. But, Cone Senior Account Executive Jodi Housman made it happen, securing an interview for Timberland CEO Jeffrey Swartz. Congratulations to Jodi, as she takes the Brand Marketing group’s Clip of the Month Award for May.

Honorable mentions go to:

Aryn Ehlow for GQ’s coverage of Barbour

Lindsay Harrington for the Associated Press’ coverage of Deloitte LLP

I must admit, I am a reality TV fan. I grew up watching MTV’s Real World and then moved on to Survivor, The Osbournes, and now I watch Jon and Kate (Gosselin): Plus 8. At the heart of the show, parents and non-parents can find the humor of raising sets of multiple children and silly arguments about kid’s off-the-wall antics. However, recently, the reality show got a strong dose of unwavering paparazzi and negative publicity.

Granted, both TLC and the family are reaping the benefits by going through a crisis. After all, it’s human behavior to watch something dramatically unravel like the Gosselin’s marriage; unfortunately, it leaves eight young children in its wake. They may be wealthy, but that surely doesn’t buy happiness.

The saga continued this week when Jon and Kate announced their divorce in front of the TV cameras and received the show’s highest ratings ever. TLC said the show will be on hiatus for a couple months. During that time, here are some media suggestions to help the Gosselins heal quicker and provide more positive fodder for the media once the wounds heal.

• Both parties need to stop talking to the press. Each week Jon and Kate take turns being on the cover of People magazine. Take time away from filming, conducting magazine interviews and from public places where you can be easily photographed.
• Grant one exclusive interview after you have the chance to live through this new transition in your life.
• Hire a publicist that cares about your well-being, not making money off the situation.
• Develop a long-term plan to leverage your family’s fame to better serve others, perhaps families that are in similar predicaments.
• Work with reputable media outlets to help cultivate a more positive vision of your family instead of the mud-slinging rumors that each party is alleging.
• Both parties should partner with a special charity or cause close to their hearts and become passionate advocates for that cause. Helping others only makes you feel better and will help improve the public’s perception of you.
• Since it’s time to move on, take down all associated websites that show the family in sunnier times. The media like to dwell on the past, so give them less ammunition to create stories.

-- Jenn DeBarge Goonan, Senior Account Supervisor

Apparently, it’s not all gloom and doom for the newspaper industry. Amid continuous news of long-established papers being forced to fold, the city of Detroit is actually gaining a daily—The Detroit Daily Press.

This might be welcome news for media relations practitioners well-versed in the art of pitching traditional news outlets, but it hardly signals a return to business-as-usual for a media sector once dominated by newspapers. The landscape has changed. Newsrooms are cutting staff, closing bureaus and more and more, transitioning to “online-only” outlets.

Here are some quick tips for securing print coverage in these turbulent times:

• Don’t wait until Monday morning: The 24/7 online-news cycle means stories don’t have to wait for the work week to start
• Take advantage of news wires: Newspapers are losing staff and are often pulling stores right from the wire services
• Connect with reporters through new channels: Follow a reporter’s blog or Twitter page to see another side of the person you’re trying to pitch
• Consider paid PR content: Fewer staff doesn’t equal less news, meaning media may be more inclined to run with packaged content like a MAT release or satellite media tour (SMT)
• Have video content and b-roll available: Despite your efforts, not all stories will make it to print, but having video can improve chances of an online story

At Cone, we love to recognize all the hard work of our brilliant, creative staff. One such recognition is the Clip of the Month Award. Each month we honor the employee who secured the best media placement, as voted on by peers, on behalf of his or her client.

Congratulations to the April Clip of the Month winner, Maureen O’Connell, for securing coverage of FIRST—a nonprofit started by Segway inventor Dean Kamen to foster science, engineering and technology skills in young people—on ABC World News Tonight on April 20, 2009.

Honorable mentions go to:

Anjala Gulati for Working Mother’s coverage of Lindt

Aryn Ehlow for Forbes.com’s coverage of Ben & Jerry’s

Chrissy Redmond for Ideal Bite’s coverage of Guayaki

Hilary Blowers for CBS Early Show’s coverage of Lindt

Jodi Housman for The New York Times “Green Inc.” blog’s coverage of Timberland

Kimberly Leistinger for CNN.com’s coverage of FIRST

As the newspaper industry struggles on life support—with circulation and ad revenue in flux and the once lively newsroom culture replaced by empty cubicles and whispers of buyouts—I cannot help but wonder what will come of my first career, America’s other pastime: the paper route.

Popularized and depicted in movies and television as a neighborhood staple, the paperboy is now cycling down a path to becoming obsolete—replaced by online editions and virtual news aggregators. This shift has required a new way of thinking for marketers, as the paperboy symbolically served not only as news messenger, but a reliable, trustworthy and uncluttered bridge from brand to consumer. Dramatic? Perhaps—but before you read your next blog post or tweet about your morning brew, take a second and process what consumer branding and PR will look like without daily—relatively objective—newspapers.

TIME magazine recently chronicled the journalism crisis and sourced a Pew Research Center study revealing last year, for the first time, “more people in the U.S. got their news online for free than paid for it by buying newspapers and magazines.” And excluding the Wall Street Journal, most news outlets have shied away from online paid subscription services when information is so easily accessible for free.

This all comes as no surprise to PR professionals who continue to evolve to manage an abundance—albeit highly segmented—of on and offline news space, skeleton editorial staffs altering how we “pitch” and increased reliance on often faceless and less accountable bloggers.

While the demise of traditional print journalism seems inevitable, there are those fighting for its survival. The Newspaper Project, launched in February by top news executives, is designed to empower people to talk, brainstorm and share ideas on how to save the industry. Likewise, publishing leaders are taking action with calls for anti-trust revisions allowing newspapers to collect revenue from news aggregators.

Despite the love/hate relationship between PR practitioners and reporters, we need each other—now more than ever—and it’s in our best interest to get engaged and support initiatives to prolong, if not save, the newspaper industry.

If for nothing else, do it for the few remaining paperboys.