I am a student of Public Relations and Marketing in Scotland, day in and day out I work with Scottish issues and I am heavily involved in the political scene in Scotland – however something I can’t escape is the brand of America.

Now I’ll be clear, when I say “the brand of America” I’m not referring to Jersey Shore and Big Macs. What I refer to is the pull America has as a nation. A nation built on immigration and integration – eventually. Around this time last year I visited one of the top Public Relations firms in America with my Scottish college that firm was 5WPR. Now to say I was impressed is an understatement; I was overwhelmed.

I had never experienced America really in person and only had TV shows to go on, but the design of the offices, the friendly nature of the staff and the knowledge of the impressive character who showed us around. Juda Engelmayer was clearly one of the best in the Public Relations industry and he in the matter of minutes had us all open jawed at his prowess and the popularity of 5WPR as a firm.

Now whilst studying in Scotland it seems we cannot escape PR cases from the states. It seems clear to many of us, that the most exciting PR industry is present in America – now of course our home country has many different clients – but what really gets our blood pumping is America. America has such an array of sectors within PR and is at the frontier, yet again in the Public Relations industry. The key advances are being made in America, the biggest cases develop there and of course – the biggest array of skilled PR professionals is there.

I am now in my 3^rd year of study and it is clear to me, I want to work in America – to pursue that American dream, the “dream” that was surely one of the biggest PR scores for a country, ever.  Why though? Besides the fact that every day in university we are given case studies of American firms, we are told to look at firms like 5WPR and Weber Shandwick for the right way of doing things? Well to put it quite simply – it’s the brand.

Every PR expert knows about branding and attempts not to be pulled in – but America, you have pulled many of us in. In fact I can assure you almost every PR student I have spoken to looks at America in awe and aspires to make it there.

Sure there would be differences, sure it would be a challenge and sure it would be galling; but surely as someone who works in PR that is qualities that should be there anyway? The willingness to overcome challenges, that sheer passion for your industry – and of course networking and taking advice from professionals like Ronn, buying his book (which is better than most textbooks I’ve read recently) and subscribing to his videos.

Dear America, you have one student here – the most influential PR student in Scotland according to the Behind the Spin blog, run by the Chartered institute of Public Relations in the UK and he has fallen for you.

How have you fallen for the brand of America? How do you think it could be improved?

–

Thanks, Kenneth Murray – @Kenny_murray

Some interesting recent stories wanted to share regarding the Public Relations industry:

• A retort from Peter Himler to Mark Cuban’s article: “Never Hire A PR Firm”: http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhimler/2012/01/16/pr-for-startups-deconstructed/

• “Survey of worldwide boutique public relations agencies predict moderate to high growth for their businesses in 2012, and nearly half see social media as the major trend impacting communications in 2012.” http://www.techjournalsouth.com/2012/01/boutique-pr-firms-see-moderate-growth-ahead/

– 5WPR wont quite qualify as a boutique – but we certainly see 2012 as being a growth year (YTD up almost 20% over last year)

• Public Relations experts criticize Carnival Cruise lines: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/19/us-carnival-idUSTRE80I02P20120119

Ronn Torossian, CEO, 5WPR

One of the most exciting aspects of my business is the successful and interesting people we meet or come across – Some random thoughts:

• I run a lot – and have been contemplating training for a triathalon but wonder if I will have the time – until my client Real estate mogul Elie Hirschfeld reminds me that he’s done 75-plus triathlons in my lifetime, and at the age of 61 finished his last one in under 3 hours. I am just going to call him Inspiring Elie Hirschfeld.

• Mark Birnbaum & Eugene Remm whom Forbes refers to as “The New Kings of New York Nightlife” by Forbes- They seem to be in perpetual movement with success – expanding on their already fabulous empire, they have decided in the last few weeks to open Catch Miami, and a 18,000-square-foot restaurant on the Lower East Side.

• Michael Malik who never stops working and is a pioneer in the casino development industry, including big projects in California, Michigan, and New York. He has been  involved in bringing gaming to multiple communities, and continues to seek investment and development opportunities in the entertainment and gaming industry. Mr. Michael J. Malik is another one who’s always looking for more positive action.

• Interestingly, Sumitomo Corporation  closed on a joint venture deal that gives Unicharm a significant stake in the common share of The Hartz Mountain Corporation (Hartz), parent company who makes many pet products, including Hartz flea and Hartz flea & tick.

• NY Russian Real Estate Attorney Edward Mermelstein in Time Magazine this week discussing the fascinating London lawsuit between 2 oligarchs -  Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich.  “This lawsuit is a public relations nightmare for Putin and his country,” says Edward Mermelstein, an international lawyer and an authority on commercial deals in Russia and Ukraine. “The financial aspect is not as material here as is the press that is being generated. It puts all of the Russian government and its business people in a bad light.” Read more: http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2012/01/20/londons-six-billion-dollar-trial-how-boris-berezovsky-has-already-triumphed/#ixzz1kEkGlTXz

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5WPR, and author of the recently released PR book “For Immediate Release”.

“Publicity geniuses are different from you and me. They have the stomach for it. This temperamental combination of imperviousness and egomania that allows them, compels them, to dominate the media . . . means, too, that they dominate reality, that’s their world and we just . . . well you know.”

—Michael Wolff, writing in Vanity Fair

10 rules for success in Public Relations:

1. Attention is the most valuable form of currency in PR and marketing. Getting the right attention must be done strategically and consistently.

2. Digital media and self-created content give everyone a voice. For good and for bad, self-created content is tremendously important—and realize with today’s media world everyone’s opinion counts. Blog, comment, and join

the conversation when it suits your purposes and goals.

3. PR works best with evolution rather than revolution. If you gradually take two steps forward, you might fall back a step. That’s okay. It’s easier to recover from one step backward than it is if you hurry and take four steps at once and then another four. You might trip and fall three or six steps behind—

It’s much harder to get back up to speed from that point.

4. PR has been and will always be about building relationships. In an earlier era, you needed only to worry about a few beat reporters, gossip columnists, or talk show hosts. Today it’s also about knowing bloggers, Twitter communities, influential Diggers, Facebook groups, or other collectives.

5. Everyone loves a great storyteller—become one. Your story is your ticket to people’s hearts and minds. A great story can motivate a person to go from passive to participant. Participate in media training and then rehearse and

prepare. It matters.

6. Write well. Understand the value of communicating properly, particularly in press releases, because they will often be used verbatim as news stories—it’s called “churnalism.” Yes, there’s a name for it now.

7. Gossip is information delivered personally. Make it work for you and not against you. Think strategically: how can you use what you hear to do better, be better, and serve better?

8. Success and media attention come with a price; learn to accept it and adapt accordingly.

9. Don’t try to be something you’re not: authenticity may mean saying no to opportunities that may not fit your brand or work against your core mission and values. Politicians need 51 percent of a market to succeed; brands can

win with a much smaller market share and become very successful.

10. Don’t expect privacy. Privacy doesn’t exist in today’s open

social media world. If you post something on Facebook, employees, clients, and the media can see it.

Writing my book was a major accomplishment of which I am very proud and I hope many more read it. The book can be bought at www.forimmediatereleasebook.com, or any major book website or bookstore.

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5WPR, a Top 25 US PR Agency.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CRISIS & CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES

–The Captain of the Ship Goes Down with the Crew—

Amidst the unfolding story of Carnival Corporation, the US-based parent of the operator of the Costa Concordia and their crisis communications strategy (and news that they hired a crisis pr agency), the following book excerpt from my recently released PR Book, “For Immediate Release” unfolds how  Carnival successful handled a previous disaster:

The November 2010 crisis of Carnival’s Splendor cruise ship is a great example of out-in-front crisis communication. A technical malfunction on board the cruise ship resulted in stranding 3,300 passengers on board for 72 hours with no electricity or working plumbing and limited food and water. Even though the error was no one person’s or the company’s “fault,” it definitely constituted a public relations crisis for Carnival Cruise Lines. It doesn’t matter if it’s no one’s fault—3,300 people were stranded without working bathrooms, air-conditioning, or much food.

Needless to say, people were pissed. Realize that in a situation like this, there is no amount of publicity or spin that can make things even remotely positive. The goal for Carnival, as with many crisis PR situations, was simply to minimize the negative and do what it could to make it up to its customer base—and future customers. Carnival handled the issue by immediately offering full refunds for the trip, along with a 25 percent discount on a future cruise. A lighthearted but compassionate blog post from the senior cruise director spoke of the ship not as smelling of roses, but smelling “like Paris on a hot summer’s day . . . that’s Paris the city, not Paris the . . . person.” He also kept making continuous announcements to keep passengers informed.

It was an awful situation, and I commend the company for telling the truth, communicating it immediately, and issuing a very direct apology from Carnival Cruise Lines’ CEO, Gerry Cahill. He talked openly about the challenges facing the crew and passengers on board the cruise ship. And he made what had to be one of the most difficult statements of his career: “We are very, very sorry for the discomfort and the inconvenience that our guests have had to deal with in the past several days.” He meant it, and by saying not just “I’m sorry,” but saying, “I am very, very sorry,” he went a long way to defuse the situation. The trouble continued with a few days of negative stories from passengers on the boat, and Carnival continued to address the many questions that came up from customers even after the media had moved on to other news. The message Carnival sent was: mistakes happen in business, we feel awful, we’re going to make amends, and now let’s move on.

The smart and personal actions of Carnival’s leader minimized loss of future business, lawsuits, and other problems. Other CEOs would not be so forthright because mishaps on this level are hard to own. Bosses have egos and it’s hard to humanize them in situations like these if they are not willing to step up and say something. Brands often wait too long because they are listening to shareholders, or their own egos, or they simply choose to ignore the problem. Was it a good situation? No, but all things considered, the company did a great job communicating sincerely, honestly, and openly with the press, customers, and the public. Big kudos to Carnival.

Ronn Torossian is the founder of 5WPR, and author of “For Immediate Release”.