Leveraging PRs Role in the Marketing Mix

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Leveraging PRs Role in the Marketing Mix

• April 25, 2007

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Marketing Mix vs. Integrated Marketing

• Traditionally, a simple pie chart
• Today, more and more overlap

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2002 Book The Fall of Advertising The Rise of
PR Al Laura Reis

• Advertising is Visual. PR is Verbal.
• Advertising is Incredible. PR is Credible.
• Advertising Needs Volume and Frequency. PR Needs
  Impact.
• Advertising is Self-Directed. PR is
  Other-Directed.
• Advertising buys a way in. PR messages find a way
  in.

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According to Reis

• Imagine a scene where the sun and the wind are
  both trying to get a man to remove his coat.
• Advertising is like the wind. It tries and tries
  to blow the coat off, but the man just holds on
  tighter and keeps his head down.
• PR is like the sun. It asks itself, Hmmm.why do
  people wear jackets anyway? Then shines brightly
  with all its might to warm the man until he
  decides to remove his coat.

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About Public Relations

• Public Relations
• The management function that establishes and
  maintains mutually beneficial relationships
  between an organization and the publics on whom
  its success or failure depends. Cutlip, Center
  and Broom
• PR can shape opinion, inspire action and change
  minds.
• PR vs. Media Relations. Not just pitching
  stories. PR is the art of actively managing
  relationships and perception.

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What it means to be PR-Led

• In our case, larger percentage of fees allocated
  to PR activities vs. Advertising
• PR and Advertising each execute niche campaigns
• In some models, PR team determines all key
  niches, areas of focus Ads follow suit
• Media reach/placement considered a key measure of
  success in the overall marketing program
• In a few cases, PR focus defines product
  development

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When PR Works

• Product/subject is truly unique
• Destination/attraction is new
• There is a story to tell
• More than meets the eye
• Enthusiasts already exist
• PR-driven marketing successes
• Starbucks
• Amazon.com
• Botox
• Red Bull
• Google
• Harry Potter
• Prozac

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When it is more challenging

• Commodity, price-driven decision
• Culture resists storytelling
• No spokesperson
• No belief in the power, value of PR
• Unwillingness to accept potential criticism in
  editorial - viewed as wrong rather than
  authentic

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Why PR Works for Travel

• Travel is an endorsement-based business.
  Decisions are based on recommendations, reviews.
• Segmentation ability is high
• Credibility is high
• Cost effectiveness
• Resource is time, not money
• Places stories
• History of a place
• Innkeepers, chefs, owners
• Events provide constant news
• Grand openings
• New features
• Trends

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Why PR Works for Travel

• PR is nimble tactics can change on a dime
• Travel is one of the heaviest advertising
  categories
• Airlines
• Hotels
• Car rental companies
• Attractions
• Services and booking engines
• Countries
• Cities
• States
• Counties
• Districts
• Online is the 1 Source for Travel Information.
  PR can find a way in.

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Age of Consumer-Driven Media

• YouTube
• AllRecipes.com
• TripAdvisor.com
• Consumer reviews/ratings
• Links to nearby attractions
• Links to other reviews (Fodors) and published
  articles

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TripAdvisor.com

• Largest online travel community in the world
• More than 5 million unbiased reviews and opinions
• Real advice from travelers about more than
  250,000 hotels, vacations, resorts, inns, travel
  packages, vacation packages, travel guides and
  attractions
• More than 20 million unique monthly visitors
  worldwide
• Winner of dozens of awards, including PC
  Magazine's Top 100 Web Sites and Forbes Best of
  the Web
• Nominated for a 2007 Webby Award (the Internet
  "Oscars") for Best Travel Website
• There's not a lot you can do about negative
  reviews but you CAN encourage all your visitors
  to submit positive review

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TripAdvisor.com
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Power of editorial endorsement

• All I know is just what I read in the papers
  Will Rogers
• Sources of travel information
• Online 1
• Word of mouth 2
• People want personal experience/insight. Media
  reviews are the next best thing.

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Best of Las Vegas Metro Pizza

• THE METRO PIZZA STORY
• In 1905 Gennaro Lombardi established the first
  Pizzeria in America. It was located on Spring
  Street in the heart of New York's Little Italy.
  By good fortune, when our grandparents came to
  America they settled just 50 yards away. Ever
  since those early days, pizza has been at the
  center of our family life. Our parents got their
  first jobs feeding coal into the big bakery ovens
  where Sicilian pizzas were baked and carried out
  into the neighborhood to feed the immigrant
  families hungry for a taste of home. Over the
  years the time-honored skills of the Pizzaiolo,
  the pizza chef, have been handed down from our
  fathers, uncles, aunts, brothers and cousins -
  from one generation to the next. As Italian
  immigrants settled across the country, they
  carried their love for combining food, family and
  friends with them to every corner of America.
• At Santarpio's in East Boston, the Home Run Inn
  on Chicago's South Side and at Tommaso's in San
  Francisco's North Beach, this tradition has
  continued and evolved. Every neighborhood has
  placed it's own personal stamp on it's local
  pizza. The debate over which city makes the best
  pizza will never be settled, because each of us
  has such warm memories of that first date or
  family gathering at our own neighborhood
  Pizzeria.At Metro Pizza, we honor the great
  traditions of America's landmark Pizzerias. Our
  dough is made fresh each day from the finest
  wheat, hand-stretched and cooked on the stone of
  our hearth ovens. Our sauces are made from only
  the finest vine-ripened tomatoes and topped with
  select cheeses, choice meats and the freshest
  vegetables, herbs and spices available.
• Each of our pizzas is a hand-crafted labor of
  love, backed by three generations of
  experience.We believe that a true Pizzeria should
  be a gathering place for family and friends to
  relax, share great food and enjoy each other's
  company. We have visited hundreds of Pizzerias
  across the country, learning and gathering
  recipes to bring our guests a taste of home,
  wherever home might be.Which city has the best
  pizza? At Metro Pizza we celebrate all of the
  great traditions of the pizza experience and we
  Thank You for choosing us as your neighborhood
  Pizzeria.
• John and Sam
• (The Pizza Guy and the Other Pizza Guy)

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Best of Las Vegas Metro Pizza
"Best Pizza in Las Vegas" Zagats Review,
2006 "Best Pizza in Las Vegas" LV Weekly
Magazine. Readers Poll, 2006 "Best Pizza in Las
Vegas" By the subscribers of AOL.com "Best Pizza
in Las Vegas" Citysearch.com, 2004 "Best Pizza
in Las Vegas" Las Vegas Weekly Magazine,
2004 "Best Pizza in Las Vegas" Zagats Review,
2004 "Best Pizza in Las Vegas" CitySearch.com,
2003

• "Best Pizza"
• Las Vegas Weekly Magazine, 2003
• "Best Pizza"
• Las Vegas Weekly Magazine, 2002
• "Best Pizza in Las Vegas"
• Las Vegas Review-Journal Poll, 2001
• "The Best of the Valley"
• City Life, 2000
• "A Shrine to Old-Fashioned Pizza"
• Zagat's Restaurant Review, 2000
• "Voted Citysearch's Best Pizza"
• CitySearch.com, 2000
• "A Story of Family Pride, Tradition and Great
  Pizza"

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Best of Las Vegas Metro Pizza
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Uncorked Wine Blog with Mark Fisher, Dayton
Daily News
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Leveraging PR Getting Started

• Identify the strengths of your site/region
• Pinpoint your sources of business
• Characterize your target consumer
• Know your target media
• Think about your story and the experience you
  provide
• Deliberate, creative thinking almost always sets
  the stage for a successful PR campaign/program.

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Kissing the Blarney Stone - Ireland
Stories of Luck
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Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, PA
Stories of Tradition
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Legend of a Monster Loch Ness, Scotland
Stories of Legend
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Twinsday Festival, Twinsburg, OH
Stories of Whimsy
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Return of the Buzzards in Hinckley, Ohio
Stories of the Weird
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Wizarding in Wilmington, Ohio
Stories of Magic
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Power of Creative Thinking A Classic PR-led
Travel Campaign

• Holiday Inn
• Research showed that 93 of people had stayed in
  a Holiday Inn
• Many cited tales of stolen towels, stories
• Towel Amnesty Day Campaign
• Idea generated by PR
• Advertising to support (critical piece)
• Charity connection
• Iconic
• Emotional connection

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Power of Creative Thinking

• Holiday Inn Results
• Campaign garnered 850 media placements including
  mentions of the book in 25 of the top 50 DMA
  newspapers in the country
• VNR/B-roll package garnered 208 media placements
  (1.9M TV media impressions)
• More than 350,000 Web site visitors
• If each of those 350,000 people would to book a
  single hotel night, it would generate 25 million
  in revenues
• Book-based fundraising for Give Kids The World
  raised 10,000

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Power of Creative Thinking

• Claus.com Year of the Elf

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Power of Creative Thinking

• News release posed Elves as biggest pop culture
  trend of 2003. Featured Claus.coms Elf School,
  Elf Movie, Lord of the Rings Galadriel
• Radio interviews with Doogie the Elf.
• Results
• Syndicated article called Whats all this about
  Elves? published by Knight Ridder Services
• Coverage in more than 125 newspapers nationwide
• Web site saw a 35 increase in total unique
  visitors to the site (2002 vs. 2003)
• 50 spike in Q4 vs. Q3

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A Christmas Story HouseCleveland, Ohio
Power of Creative Thinking
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• Harry Potter Power
• New Theme Park (Fla.)
• Worldwide Magical Tours
• Wizarding in Wilmington
• Wegerzyn Gardens Camps (Dayton) 600

Power of Creative Thinking
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Marketing Mix Getting it Right

• Factors to weigh
• Overall budget can you outspend your
  competition on ads? If not, youll need to
  leverage dollars and earn exposure among your
  targets.
• Really think about your site
• Is it unique?
• Do you have amazing stories?
• Can you relate to a current trend or event?
• Would articles and editorial placements tell your
  story better than traditional ads?
• What are your sources of business?

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Marketing Mix Getting it Right

• Define the relationships that matter to you, and
  build partnership strategies into your planning.
• CVBs
• ODTT
• Consumers
• Media
• Partners (Lodging, Dining, Transportation)
• Learn to love fuzzy good programs blur the
  lines.
• Use research, creativity, insight to choose key
  focus areas. Commit to niches based on product
  strength.

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Discover Ohio in Bloom
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Discover Black History in Ohio
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Maintain a Robust Media Relations Program

• Focus on things that
• Deliver information
• Build acclaim/reputation
• Connect in a unique way
• Media list Highly focused, based on sources of
  business, areas of interest/strength
• Embrace a departure from PR 101 go exploring
• Press kit(s)/media packages
• News release calendar
• PRNewswire, Businesswire
• Editorial calendar roadmap

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Maintain a Robust Media Relations Program

• Online press room
• Story Ideas
• Images and B-Roll Critical tools in
  storytelling
• Use Media lead services
• ProfNet (PRNewswire)
• Media Leads
• Media Kitty
• Travel Publicity Leads
• TIA
• SATW

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Model Program Biltmore Estate N.C.

• Fabulous press room
• Image library
• Stories galore
• Well-written news releases
• Fun facts
• In-depth Pod cast series
• Virtual tour
• Stunning photography
• Helpful itineraries
• Packages and specials

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Model Program Biltmore Estate N.C.
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Understand the Tools of the Trade

• Bacons (now Cision)
• Contact/profiles
• Edcals
• Clipping services
• Real-time monitoring
• Findarticles.com
• Google Alerts
• Factiva
• PRNewswire, Businesswire

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Build the Case for PR through Results

• Clip counting vs. content analysis
• PR Trak
• Clips vs. share of discussion
• Media audit/survey
• Monthly/quarterly media summaries
• Know the approximate value of earned placements
• Best Where did you hear about us?
• Front desk
• Online
• Phone

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Big Payoff
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Beyond Media Relations Leveraging PR

• Collect stories they are tremendously valuable
  assets
• Famous visitors
• Quotes/testimonials
• Articles written
• Learn the art of storytelling
• Always talk to strangers
• Ask people where they heard about you
• Encourage delighted guests to post reviews on
  your favorite sites
• Compete for awards, rankings
• Always be building your arsenal
• Be passionate, but dont oversell (Metro Pizza)
• If you control spending, INVEST in PR
• If you dont, CHAMPION PR

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PRs Next Frontier

• Tackling online
• Print will not go away, but segmentation will
  increase
• Consumer-generated media will continue to grow
• Think small, not big
• More innovative use of YouTube
• Pod mania better-quality pod casts

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Whats Your Story?