What is their experience?
If you were going to hire an architect to design a building, wouldn't you ask to see their previous work before handing over the job? When evaluating PR firms it is important to look at their experience and expertise. Specifically look for familiarity with your industry, target publications, tradeshows, and media members. An experienced PR firm should be able to present a campaign that comprehensively addresses each facet of public relations.
How accessible will they be?
Today's news cycle is working 24/7, and there is no reason your PR firm shouldn't be. When a major industry story breaks, you need an agency that will be on top of it and taking the next steps to ensure you receive positive press. Find a firm who returns emails and phone calls promptly. You should expect to speak with your firm multiple times a week if not daily; anyone who doesn't offer this type of accessibility isn't worth your investment.
How much should I pay?
Many PR firms prefer to keep their clients on a monthly retainer, but this doesn't ensure the same amount of work is being done each month. Why not find a firm that will only bill you on the work that has been done and allow you flexibility from month to month. After all it's your money, shouldn't you spend it wisely?
How important is flexibility?
Many firms work with limited resources, which can make it difficult to handle big projects like a worldwide product launch. Select a firm that has the bandwidth to handle anything you may wish to pursue. It would be a shame to miss a major publicity opportunity because your firm wasn't prepared to handle the workload.
Will they be a partner or a vendor?
When you meet a PR firm it should become quite clear if they are looking to merely sell their services, or if they want to work with you to expand and improve the image of your organization. Find a firm that is composed of the type of personalities you are most comfortable working with. Your firm should present ideas that reflect your input, not sell you on projects. Remember, selecting the right PR firm is the first step to a successful relationship, choose wisely and you will be grateful.
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New Year, New Expectations
With a new year comes revitalizations, a new spirit and energy, and an eagerness for what coming months will bring. A fresh start. At Ardell we're anticipating exciting new additions to our talented family of PR experts, for both our Core Technology and Consumer Technology teams. CES (in all its consumerized, Vegas glory) was a hot way to kick off the new year, and with the flurry of press briefings we secured and facilitated for our clients already solidly in our past, we look forward to a bevvy of upcoming branding and messaging workshops, tradeshows and international conferences, and creative media- and analyst-oriented special events that our teams have designed for our clients in just the first quarter of '06. Will we be urging them to blog and podcast more this year? You bet and then some, always balanced with classically proven PR methods that have stood the test of the decades. To all of you I wish a healthy and happy new year!
- K.S.
ardell case study of the month: “True Color: Helping one client communicate value ”
Situation At the height of the Dot-Com bubble in the late 1990's, the "New Economy" was being heralded as the replacement to just about everything we had come to know as normal business in America. One of the largest market segments to emerge was E-Retailing, where indsurty pundits were predicting online storefronts would make "Brick and Mortar" establishments obsolete. A key hurdle for E-Retailing was having the color of the object in the computer monitor accurately matching the true color of the item being purchased online. Women's apparel was a key challenge to the industry. E-Color developed their flagship product, "True Internet Color," to solve this problem. Ardell was hired to obtain coverage in A-list consumer and retail magazines, and broadcast coverage on major outlets.
Solution
Ardell designed a multi-tiered PR program to address key audiences, the technical trade press, e-retailing magazines, business publications, industry analysts, women's magazines, and broadcast outlets. The goal of the program was to first educate key audiences about the huge barrier color matching was to the growth of online shopping, and then brand "True Internet Color" as the solution. Ardell also designed an "Orange Santa" Christmas campaign targeting broadcast media to illustrate the importance of getting color "right."
Results
The overall program produced extensive ongoing coverage in a wide range of publications including, Business Week, New York Times, Apparel News, Women's Wear Daily, Cosmo, Business Week, PC Magazine, PC Week, Web Techniques, E-Commerce, and many others.
Ardell's efforts resulted in "True Internet Color" winning several awards including, the E-Commerce Innovator Award, Internet World "Best of Show," and Upside's "Hot 100" award.
The "Orange Santa" campaign resulted in appearances on the Today Show, Good Morning America, and MTV. As a result of Ardell's program, "True Internet Color" became the leading solution for the color-matching problem in online shopping.
