The Public Relations Blog

Background

During the early 1980s, Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) Tylenol suffered a catastrophic setback due to product tampering that resulted in the deaths of seven people. News of bottles being laced with cyanide quickly spread, creating a nationwide panic that was expected to cause irreparable damage to the brand’s image. Many experts assumed nothing could be done to repair the injury done to J&J’s most profitable product. However, the pharmaceutical company would embark on a public relations and media relations strategy that not only minimized reputational harm, but also led to sales rebounding to pre-crisis levels.

Background

Victoria Knight-McDowell, a 2nd grade school teacher had developed a blend of 17 herbs infused with zinc, amino acids, vitamins A, C and E, and marketed it as a natural preventive and cure for the common cold. In an effort to gain greater publicity for their product, Airborne, Victoria and her husband relied primarily on utilizing the general public’s approval and affection to spread knowledge of the brand.

Background

Charlie Lubin’s decision to utilize the power of public relations in promoting his baking company, Sara Lee, is perhaps one of the best examples of how a PR agency’s creativity can turn a small startup into a nationally recognized, multi-million-dollar corporation. Founded in 1949, Sara Lee’s unique concept lay in creating cheesecakes with real butter and extra eggs, a stark contrast to the typical industry practice of the day. Charging 79 cents per cake, Lubin had customers paying more than double the price of his competition. Chicagoans didn't mind, it seemed, as Sara Lee's cakes increasingly became a city-wide sensation. Seeing the full potential of his cakes, Lubin decided to implement a national expansion. His only roadblock was his financial inability to pay for a costly advertising campaign.

Background

For much of its history, bourbon has suffered the negative reputation of being an excessively strong and harsh spirit, an unpalatable quality for drinkers desiring something they could sip and enjoy. Distilleries, as a result, would see sales plummet and would have no choice but to close. It was within this atmosphere of a decaying industry that Bill Samuels Sr. founded Maker’s Mark, a bourbon promising to deliver a softer taste that could be savored. Despite the potential of being a popular and marketable product, Maker’s Mark did not sell and failed to live up to Bill’s vision of success. Even the addition of a visitors’ center at the Kentucky distillery did little to improve the startup’s fortunes. For the company to become profitable, the Samuels family would have to reverse the public’s perception of bourbon being a “working toughman’s” spirit.

Crisis Communications

My mom always told me to kill someone with kindness if he wasn’t being a caring individual. That motto has gotten me pretty far in life and not just with people who aren’t being friendly. I follow the “kill them with kindness” motto at Axia Public Relations, as well.

PR Tip: Nine Ways To Outwit And Outsell Your Competition

1. Keep Your Eye On The Bottom Line

• Are you selling products that are returning a high profit in dollars but not in percentages? Remember, it’s not the amount of sales you generate that really counts. It’s the amount of money you take the bank that counts.

2. Focus On Your People

• Is your staff on your bandwagon? Explain to them that you are building a championship team that’s going to survive these times. Are they on board? If not, you shouldn’t be employing them.

3. Communicate Your Differentiation, Your Story And Your Value

• Do you have a differentiation or value story to tell people? If you do, people will remember you and talk about you. If you don’t, they’ll forget about you.

4. It’s All About Connections

• Be the mayor. Your business is up for election every day of the year. Put your time and energy into developing relationships within your community and collecting votes. Nurture your connections. The only cost is your time.

5. Be A Personality

• Get in front of people and be the face of your company. Speaking in front of 100 people is worth more than you can imagine. People would rather do business with someone they know and like.

6. Love Your Customers

• Your customers are the sole reason your business exists so make them feel important. Ask them for feedback. Once a year, invite your key customers to a special event to thank them for their business. It’s far less expensive to market to your true fans than to acquire new customers.

7. Wow! Be Fascinating

• Everything you do and everything the customer sees about you -- your showroom, products, services, greetings, landscaping, washroom and lobby -- must be remarkable. If they’re mediocre, you’re just another average company that’s easy to forget about.

8. Make The Internet Work For You

• If you’re not found on the Internet, people won’t know about you. Invest in “search” and PPC programs. Explore the advantages of LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Learn about mobile messaging programs.

9. Develop A Sales-Building Plan

• Write down what you want to achieve, your deadline for achieving it and what it’s going to take to get you there.
• From this, develop a six-month sales-building plan. Get feedback from your staff so they “buy into” the program. And finally, get someone to hold you accountable for getting the plan done.

If you follow these guidelines, you"ll outwit and outsell your competition.

Public Relations Innovation The Nordstrom Way

As companies rebound from the economy, it's time to re-think and re-innovate your public relations. Whether you're in the business-to-business or business-to-consumer sectors, "personal connection-oriented marketing" still works.

Kotkin Enterprises is still in business, but a crisis last December nearly cost owner David Kotkin everything. The launch of a much-anticipated new product was crushed, his and his company’s reputation was severely damaged, and Kotkin Enterprises’ very survival was threatened.

Companies who aim for a national audience may believe that they can effectively reach their target by using media formats like broadcast TV.