The Public Relations Blog

Why nothing said is “off the record" and how PR can improve your media relations

Most people have witnessed a moment in a live television broadcast when someone on camera blurts out something inappropriate or controversial. Or, a company spokesperson is quoted in a newspaper saying something unsavory or offensive and his response is that he thought it was “off the record.” When these moments occur, the audience cringes and thinks why would someone say that? The reason this happens is typically because the speaker thinks the camera isn’t recording or that the conversation is confidential. But what causes a person to lose focus in this way? How can you avoid having this happen to you?

How creative public relations that attacks the mainstream cacophony helps your business

Early in the 19th century during the Peninsular War, when Spain was resisting Napoleon, the term “guerra” (Spanish for war) evolved to “guerrilla” to describe the way the Spanish were fighting against Napoleon’s empire. The fighters against the mainstream were rebels, radicals and revolutionaries. This small independent group used irregular means to fight against larger regular forces.

In the 1980s, the phraseology “guerrilla marketing” evolved from the historical corps of special fighters who succeeded in going up against the establishment. Gearing the strategies that worked in the Pyrenees as well as the jungles of Latin America, businesses (using little cash or other resources) could attack the big companies in similar non-traditional ways, on non-traditional battlefields.

Do it right and you could form lasting and lucrative media relationships

Help a Reporter Out is a free service that enables journalists to connect with information sources. If you're an expert and have an interesting opinion or story to share with the media, you can sign up for HARO to get connected to journalist and get your story published, which will ultimately increase traffic to your website and get the word out about your company.

Before your next public event or speech, consult with PR

Dr. Ben Carson is widely considered to be one of the more likeable and honest of the Republican candidates running for president. Nonetheless, his ride has not been completely smooth. The media is now accusing him of lying and exaggerating his credentials.

This kind of allegation is damaging, whether you’re a candidate for the country’s top job or CEO of a corporation. Using PR tools and tactics can help get you out of this type of crisis, but only if they are done correctly.

Let PR show you how to help your company while helping others

You have done a good job of fostering a company culture that encourages and celebrates charitable giving. Of course, you did not do this just to receive recognition, but it would be nice to get some anyway. The trick is to promote your corporate social responsibility efforts without sounding like a showoff and possibly alienating customers. With help from PR, you can reap both the internal and external benefits of your charitable giving efforts.

Ways to use PR to grow your company

McDonald’s is one of the largest chains of fast food restaurants in the world. Founder Ray Kroc had the idea to create McDonald’s in 1954 when he visited a San Bernardino, Calif. restaurant. A year later, Kroc started the popular fast food chain and it only required three years for McDonald’s to sell its 100 millionth hamburger. Today, the company has about 35,000 restaurants worldwide in 119 countries, serving about 68 million guests per day. How did it get so successful? A well-managed PR strategy.

We live according to our own moral standards and beliefs and we run businesses in the way we believe is ethical and appropriate. Unethical business practices can not only damage your business reputation, but can also completely ruin the business itself. When it comes to dealing with your public either in person or on social media, it’s important to know which behaviors are ethical and which are not.

Of course, ethical norms vary from business to business and from culture to culture, but some are more or less standard for most business practices.

The journalists you pitch a story to matter more than you may think

A PR industry pro recently shared in PRWeek that it is better to focus pitching efforts on local media with the hope that other outlets will subsequently pick up the story. While local efforts are a great start, it isn’t always the most efficient way to pitch a client or a story.

Ethical implications of using this favored PR tool

Several Axia Public Relation team members, including me, began our communications-based careers as journalists, serving as media gatekeepers. This added expertise often comes into play when counseling the clients we represent as public relations practitioners. We’re bound not only to the Public Relations Society of America Code of Ethics, but to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. Each derivative, interestingly enough, shares a multitude of overlapping guidelines – one of which focuses on the use of the phrase “off the record.”

To those unfamiliar with the parlance, “off the record” is a public relations tool used by any individual (source) who wants to share information strictly as background or context when speaking with a member of the media.

Speaking at conferences, community meetings and expert seminars is a wonderful opportunity to get in front of your key audiences and grow your business. How does your company benefit from such speaking engagements?