One of the things as PR pros we can do is for the audience is let them know when it's safe to whoop, holler or applaud.
This is what our clients always want us to do. It’s kind of like how to start a movement.
Often, we hesitate to spread the word and recommend something because it doesn't feel safe to do so. It's better to say nothing than it is to feel stupid.
Joining in on the standing ovation at the end of a Broadway play isn't some sort of callow sellout. It's actually a tradition that offers solace for the timid or uninitiated.
The trick in PR is to get to the tipping point.
The tipping point is when a lone weirdo has attracted so much of a following that it would just feel stupid NOT to join him. Am I thinking Steve Jobs?
We like to learn from the shirtless dancer… if you have not seen his video then here’s a 3-minute version that can spice your day up…
We often work for clients and develop their PR messages based on their brand. Our first question is, what does your brand stand for?
If you tell me about service and quality and customer focus, you haven't answered my question, because a hundred other brands stand for that. If you are what others are, then there's nothing here to own or protect or build upon.
Compared to what? Compared to all those that you compete with for attention, for commerce, for donations and for employees, what do you stand for? Are you one of a kind or even one in a million?
Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton... they don't actually stand for anything, do they? They can't, because they stand for precisely the same thing. Puma vs. Adidas vs. Nike... They all want to stand for winning. How substantial are the differences?
Make a list of the differences and the extremes and start with that. A brand that stands for what all brands stand for stands for nothing much.
One you understand what your brand stands for, you can actually develop your PR messages.
