THE SELECTION, CARE AND FEEDING OF PUBLIC RELATIONS COUNSEL
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Today companies are finding that if they are to survive,
public relations has to be more than just press agentry or
product publicity. It is becoming an increasingly important
communications tool for explaining the firm to its many publics
and explaining those publics to management.
Recent concern over an organization's promotional return on
investment; increased attention on consumer protection (consumers
of all industries); and drastic, sometimes violent, socio-
economic changes have forced management to be alert and respon-
sive to the public's attitudes and problems. In addition,
whether because they are becoming enlightened or are learning
through bitter experience, management is finding that ideas and
concepts can't be sold in the same way as products. Finally,
businesses no longer operate in ivory towers. They are being
held accountable for their actions by the Government ...
employees ... shareholders ... customers ... and the general
public.
Added to this is the fact that companies, organizations,
and institutions are growing more complex. Each is finding they
need specialists to accomplish the organization's overall goals
and objectives ... specialists in finance, production, research,
marketing, and sales. The growing list of problems and their
complexity also emphasizes the need for public relations experts
and counsel.
Many of the problems companies face today have been brought
about by the simple fact that outsiders don't understand or don't
agree with the firm's policies and objectives. Person-to-person
and mass communications are so complex that specialists are
needed to coordinate and handle this area. In addition, manage-
ment needs outside, but friendly inputs, to assist in molding
decisions and corporate direction.
The Alternatives
To achieve a firm's communications objectives, there are
two alternatives, and ideally, a third. First, management can
have an internal staff of public relations people. Second, they
can retain professional outside counsel just as they retain
legal, accounting, or marketing counsel. Finally, the larger,
healthier organization can have the proper mixture of an internal
and external public relations staff
While many of my corporate peers may disagree with me, I
feel a company can best be served by an external organization or
by a combination of internal and external organizations. An
outside organization is more effective for management, since
there is usually a greater sense of urgency to accomplish public
relations goals than there is internally. In addition, outside
counsel is usually more objective, so its word carries more
weight. This is because the public relations agency is selling a
service. Therefore, their performance is usually reviewed more
often and more critically than that of an internal corporate
public relations staff.
Historically, public relations counsel has usually been
brought in as an auxiliary force of specialists. This is similar
to the fire department that is only called when you smell smoke.
By that time, the problem has already developed, and the most
anyone can do is help make the best of a bad thing.
More and more PR agencies are operating on a six month or
yearly contract and retainer-plus-expenses basis. In this way,
they aren't limited to isolated instances. They become a part of
the client's life and share all of the functions of public
relations from planning to execution. As a result, public
relations counsel can more effectively give the comprehensive
service they were originally designed to provide.
What Can Public Relations Counsel Do?
As never before, the onus of proof is on management to
explain its motives, achievements, and contributions to its many
publics who directly determine its success or failure. Intelli-
gent public relations efforts help management to fulfill the
public's need to know. In addition, they help make the public
more receptive to the firm's products and give services as well
as an advance impression of the organization and its objectives.
In addition to the important task of keeping management in
touch with the public, PR has four major functions:
1. Determine what the public needs to know regarding the firm's
issues or situations
2. Develop programs to win public support
3. Effectively carry out these programs
4. Measure program results and changes in public attitudes.
The key to public relations success to date has been its
ability to build and maintain a positive public image for their
clients. However, no amount of public relations effort can help
poor ideas or products succeed in today's society.
Fortunately, most companies do attempt to put forth good
ideas and products, but continue to face problems because of the
widening gap between the scientist or engineer and the layman.
Most of these experts concentrate totally on their job and don't
have the time, inclination, or special abilities to communicate
the importance of their tasks or to find out how their work is
affecting the public.
Industry can't afford to have this gap widen. Wise manage-
ment must increasingly use public relations specialists and their
abilities in the science of communications in order to meet this
problem.
Select the Right Public Relations Counsel
Unlike tangibles, which can be measured in dollars and
cents, public relations is difficult if not impossible to
measure. The only measure is quaity and this is always subject
to individual interpretation. If management attempts to use
quantity as a measure in the form of clippings or whatever, and
there is no quality, then the results become meaningless.
Quality is always of prime importance.
While measuring a prospective public relations agency is
difficult, there are some basic guidelines management can use:
Before you begin talking with public relations consultants,
outline what you hope to accomplish with public relations. Don't
firm up all of your objectives, because they can best be effec-
tively developed and carried out with your agency after selection
has been made. Since public relations may be relatively new to
you, listen to the consultant's advice and form objectives and
programs jointly.
Don't see more than three agencies. As you interview more
and more agencies, selection becomes something akin to buying a
new car ... the more you see, the more they all begin to look
the same. One way of narrowing you potential agencies is by
talking with members of the press who continually judge public
relations material from many firms. when you are making your
overall survey, look at agencies of all sizes ... large agen-
cies, small agencies, and public relations divisions of adver-
tising agencies. All have their distinct advantages. No one
organization has a corner on the talent, insight, and capabili-
ties that are just right for you.
Don't necessarily eliminate an agency from you list just
because they don't know your industry. More important, is
whether or not they know public relations. If the organization
is competent in every other respect, they will quickly learn you
business. Professional public relations techniques can be
applied to a variety of situations. In addition, you might find
that they bring fresh and innovative approaches to your problems
which you had overlooked. It should be added though, that there
are situation where industry knowledge is necessary.
Since public relations is a person-to-person type of
business, make certain there is good interaction between you
people and agency personnel. If the personal chemistry is
missing, you may find yourself switching agencies.
In the members of the public relations agency, look for
attributes which sound like Boy Scout rules to live by. Re-
member, management is asking the consultant to represent the firm
to the outside world as well as the outside world to the firm.
The five qualities you should look for during your discussions
with prospective consultants are:
1. Sound judgement in arriving at decisions
2. Courage to stand by those decisions
3. Integrity in their operation
4. Thoroughness in carrying out projects
5. Objectivity toward the firm and its publics
None of these is easy to evaluate.
Once selection is made request a six-month trial period.
This will give you, your organization, and the agency the oppor-
tunity to work together so results can materialize. Unfortun-
ately, public relations results generally don't appear overnight.
They take time to develop. However, they generally have con-
siderable effect of the organization and its ultimate sale of
goods and profitability.
Today, as never before, management is results oriented.
Therefore, they have a right to expect public relations to
establish, and be willing to be measures against hardheaded
objectives. With these objectives, the agency can develop
specific plans and programs to assist the organization in
arriving at the desire destination. Counsel which cannot or will
not establish these goals is unwilling to play the game the way
management has to play ... by objectives. Without objectives,
neither the PR consultants nor management will know how they
arrived, or if they arrived at all.
Finally, make certain there are periodic reviews between
the agency and client. Usually these formal reviews are held
monthly, and informal reviews go on continually. This gives all
parties an opportunity to see what has been accomplished, what is
planned, and to see if corporate direction or goals have changed.
All of these may affect the direction of the program.
Care and Feeding
After management has selected the public relations agency
they feel will do the best job for their organization, their task
is not completed. In fact, it has just begun. Now management
has to care about the public relations program and feed reliable
information to the agency so it can do its job effectively. The
agency is entitled to be keep abreast of what is going on in the
organization and what is being planned for the future. It needs
all the facts--good and bad--so it can operate effectively. It
cannot operate in a vacuum.
The best client/agency relationship is one in which the
agency is brought in early on the planning, rather than after a
decision or direction has been stated. At this point, the agency
becomes simply one which executes publicity. In other words, the
company is not taking full advantage of all the capabilities
available.
Management has to understand that public relations must be
objective. Without this objective, continual examination of the
company, its policies, and its products, the agency's full worth
is not realized. In the final analysis, it is the company, not
the agency, which gains or loses public favor. No amount of
public relations effort can save a firm from the public's wrath
when they are working against the best interests of their
publics. Therefore, management should continually discuss plans,
programs and ideas with the PR consultants so they can assist by
predicting possible public reaction and providing worthwhile
alternatives.
Management has to realize that professional public
relations counsel serves two masters in fulfilling the public
need-to-know--media and management. Honesty has and will
. continue to be the best policy. Honesty builds confidence
between the company and media. By effectively working for both
masters, public relations consultants can establish mutual
respect by telling the truth, thus preventing speculation and
insuring that management has the opportunity to be heard.
Finally, remember that public relations is a combination of
science and art. Some projects will go awry despite the best
efforts of your public relations counsel. Articles can be cut by
editors, cutlines can be switched, stories can be held over or
dumped entirely. Sometimes situations arise that neither you nor
your counsel could anticipate. But, at the end of the year the
pluses and minuses should balance so the firm's objectives are
achieved.
The day of the public relations counsel being a glorified
press agency has long since disappeared. Organizations with only
that capability are of no assistance to modern, progressive
firms. Today, professional PR firms combine psychology, soci-
ology, economics, and communications into a powerful, effective
link between management and its publics.
Management will find that outside counsel is able to main-
tain the one very necessary ingredient ... objectivity. In addi-
tion, they are not mired down by internal politics or routine,
minor tasks. Instead, they are in a position to recommend moves
aimed directly at improving the organization's public relations
without being overly influenced by the fear of holding a job.
Since the agency is not dependent on one client, they can afford
to make what they believe is the best recommendation. They may
lose a client, but it is still only one client.
Once an organization determines that they need outside
public relations assistance, selection is extremely important.
But, after the commitment is made, management is still faced with
the task of providing more assistance that simply the PR fee-
plus-expense. For the firm's agency and program to succeed, they
must care for and feed the PR counsel in insure maximum success.
Without these ingredients, public relations efforts for the
organization are doomed for failure. However, if the care and
feeding are provided, the company will receive maximum value for
every dollar.
THE SELECTION CARE AND FEEDING OF PUBLIC RELATIONS COUNSEL - To learn more about this author, visit Andy Marken's Website.
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