The other reason I love this video is that it brings back a few memories. Ernie has put together a stellar line up of talent. From members of the original group Boston to Tim Archibald, former bass player for the Boston group New Man. I actually took bass lessons from Tim, oh God, 20 years ago. He is by far, the best bass player I have ever seen.

As for Ian, this Boston PR Agency only brings in the best…

Anyway, great band, great video and great memories. Enjoy!

And if that’s not enough, the Boston Globe is still working on reducing their newsroom staff by 50 people and next month, the Christian Science Monitor will go all web-based and seize print publication. It seems to be getting harder to get the ear of a good reporter and build a long relationship.

What is becoming easier is to utilize the tools that are becoming more common such as Blogging, YouTube, Twitter and others. A well thought out plan to use these tools effectively can get you well on your way to reaching your customer without totally relying on traditional media which us PR guys have done for years. But be careful of “experts.”

I have seen more people lately calling themselves “experts” in social media. It’s rather frightening.  I’m no expert. I make that claim right now. But, I know how to get results and put people in a program that makes sense for them. And it doesn’t include having a presence on 350 social media sites. That’s just ridiculous.

Moral of the story? Start to use different tools to get the word out, and build brand awareness. Utilize a blend of traditional media relations and dip your foot into the new online tools that are available. But do things that make sense.

Mr. Obama needed a tone that was uplifting to get him into the Whitehouse. People resonated with the ideas of hope and change because they needed both. He offered that and of course we all know the results. He is now our president. Even his inaugural speech offered a little bit of hope.  As a personal note, I was actually encouraged when Mr. Obama took VP Biden to task quietly over his public slap at Justice Roberts. Not bad.

As President Obama needed desperately to push through the stimulus package, he took on a very different tone. The sky is falling! His message would encourage the public and members of congress to act quickly on supporting his bailout of just about everything. After a few roadblocks, it worked and the bill became law. The doom and gloom frightened everyone into supporting this initiative.

Now that he got what he asked for, it was time to bring back hope as presented in his speech to the joint session of congress on February 24. Everything is fine and dandy once again and we will all be just fine. Hope and change is once again on the way.

While some may not agree with the current administration, as is the case with any issue, Mr. Obama’s communication strategy seems to be working. He changes his tone with what he needs to get done. While in my opinion, this seems very transparent, I guess for now, it’s working for him. Check back after his first 100 days.

I have found that the smaller the client, the more impatient they are with results. That is not a slam to smaller clients, it’s just an observation.  In fact I once had a client that ripped into me after three weeks, because he did not have any media attention yet. That’s a bit much. There’s no magic here, no magic wand. And contacts, sometimes only get you a quicker NO.

I do understand completely. You are shelling out good money for something that may work, or may not. We PR people try work to come up with solid angles, and other newsworthy items for the client. But, there are so many variables with PR that sometimes; we hit a few walls during the process.

Here’s my advice. If you have long-term goals, you need to stick it out at least one year. The pr agency needs to get to know you, develop a solid plan and then time to execute that plan. Also, timing is critical to PR. There may not be a good opportunity for your pitch for several months.

If you need a small PR agency to draft a onetime press release, the small PR agency can do that. But, do not expect to be famous off a press release. Although, stranger things have happened…

My opinion is no. Not that they should stop marketing because we all know you can’t do that in these times. But they should really look else ware to spend their dollars more wisely. It would certainly save them from another PR blunder.  A recent article in Ad Age suggests they will look more closely at marketing online rather than spend the millions they are used to doing on TV. http://adage.com/article?article_id=133520

They don’t need another black eye in the PR department. My advice, spend your money wisely.

Your Thoughts?

One of our longest standing clients is Humboldt Storage and Moving, a Boston moving company that tries hard every day to relieve the stress of people moving. It’s their brand and everyone at Humboldt lives the brand. A great company with a great 100-plus year history. We’ve tried hard to tell the world just how relaxing it is to move with Humboldt.

Roces based in Italy invented the first ever children’s adjustable ski boot and we were honored to launch this product for them in the US this year. If you’re looking for kid’s ski boots, you have to seriously consider this product. It will change the way parents buy ski boots for their kids.

If you’re in business, you know the challenges of getting some people to pay on time. That’s where American Profit Recovery comes in. They are not your average collection agency. They do everything different and it shows in their results. They have a much higher than average collection rate than most in the collection industry. We have had the privilege of serving this fine company on both the local and national press scene.

AGAR Supply is the largest independent food distributor in New England. Once again, this company takes a different approach, serving as a partner to thousands of independent restaurants in New England. The 60-plus year old company was started by current CEO Karen Bressler’s grandfather as he sold pork to the Chinese in the 1940s in Boston. Many small restaurants and retail food establishments rely on the expertise AGAR provides.

Andy Maus is one of the most accomplished fitness trainers in Boston. He runs Boston Fitness Results and the very popular Boston Adventure Boot Camp for Women. We are trying hard to show Boston that Andy is the top fitness professional in the region.  

And of course, Special Olympics Massachusetts. I’m Back…. As many know, I spent many years at this fine organization. Well now I’m back heading up their awareness efforts. There is no greater inspiration than going to a Special Olympics event or volunteering. We should all “Be a Fan” of this great organization.

One other quick mention is for my good buddy Scott White, the “Big Kahuna” at Brand Identity Guru, the best branding company in the business. Scott throws me some business from time-to-time and we are thankful for his trust in our skills. If you need to hone your brand, you’d be foolish not to call him.

Happy New Year to all and best of luck in 2009!

Maybe I posed the question wrong or it was not clear. Anyway, here’s my opinion. They still matter. Here’s why. You have to build trust with reporters. I know everyone is beating this social media bandwagon but I still believe there is nothing better than a good old fashioned TV spot to drive your message home. Most of our clients are blogging and on YouTube but there is still a strong role for traditional media relations in this PR world. Much of what other media cover does come from print media. Every day in America’s TV newsrooms, the editorial staff scours the local newspapers looking for stories. Many make on air and many were at first “exclusives.”

I know firsthand that many writers in print media will not even touch a story if it has been offered to anyone else. I follow a rule of first, offering a good story to one reporter. If they do not want it, then I move on. I could move on to another reporter, or I could just blast it out to the masses. Much of the media still want to be first with a good business story.

So in short, and it’s just one man’s opinion, exclusives do still matter.

I originally signed up for My Space to learn more about the social media wave that was hitting the PR industry. All I’ve ever gotten from MySpace are invites from people I care not to associate with. As a PR Agency, I’m looking to connect with people who are serious about promoting their image and brand and becoming experts in their field. I just don’t get that with MySpace. I do promote my own business and brand well with Linked In, my own website and my YouTube site and I offer advice to each client about what type of social networking tools they should use to best reach their market.

So long MySpace. Unless of course I get hired by some rad dudes who need a page built.

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