The killing of Osama Bin Laden was broken by a random individual on twitter, and the aftermath of the killing of the world’s most heinous terrorist shows just how important Public Relations is in all aspects of today’s world.  PR defines what and how the world thinks.

– The (usually brilliant at PR) Obama administration has clumsily handled his death:

• First the world was told that Bin Laden and his henchmen had offered fierce resistance during a sustained firefight and that Bin Laden had used one of his wives as a shield. Then it emerged that he was unarmed, and that the woman had charged at the US commandos.
• While this was undoubtedly an amazing victory for America and for the Obama administration, even the photo released from the White House had so many questions (and why, unless to embarrass Hillary Clinton would you release a photo of her gasping?)

It was a major American victory and a triumph for the free, civilized world – Am sure many of us wish it could have been handled in a better manner.

– Today we see Bin Laden videos released of him in a home video clutching a remote and channel surfing through footage of himself on a TV:

• Media Reports have said, wisely that he was “as much a PR person as a terrorist.” In many ways, Bin Laden utilized all forms of modern media to speak to his audiences, and he really understood the power of media and power of images. As owner of a PR agency, I am not surprised to read that he dyed his beard to look better nor that he practiced his lines for a propoganda video.

Even the world’s most heinous terrorist understands that mastering PR is key to success.  Truly Amazing.

 Ronn Torossian

5WPR

In recent weeks there has been a multitude of PR firm acquisitions by multinational Public Relations conglomerates.  This excitement and investment stems from the continued PR growth opportunities that exist, largely, due to increased demand of services by businesses across all nations.

While the airline industry is also seeing intense mergers & acquisitions, I believe PR acquisitions and growth is a nod to our gearing up for a time of intense growth. The PR field is an intense period of reinvention, adapting new and advanced media, and most of all, offering a large return on investment. Part of the breakthrough came through the economic downturn. As social media expands and opens the media world and as the advertising industry changes, intense PR and marketing campaigns are showing a real ROI. 

PR brings a mature approach to strategic planning and management; be it reputation management, brand, media or crisis management. It provides a devoted attitude to research-based practices, allows for accurate evaluation and success measurement tools, and represents the use of social and online media for marketing and positioning goals. As an example, the social media management arena is now handled by PR agencies.

Some tips when utilizing PR to grow your entrepreneurial venture:

Free Media: Breaking the myth about how news is made is a personal favorite. The right PR agency will have proper media relations skills. Knowing the in and outs of media and having relationships with journalists of all kinds is a necessity.

Strategic Planning:  Utilize the right PR firm that asks strategic questions:  Who are your audiences? Are there new publics and markets that haven’t been tapped and how can we reach them through PR? But, don’t let them fool you into a big, fancy consulting agreement which takes months to provide results.

The Message: PR can craft the comprehensive message that covers multiple aspects of your business. Through PR the “what I stand for” gets a practical role.

Evaluation: The most neglected stage in many marketing and advertising campaigns is a component that no PR campaign can be considered complete without. “Is this working for us?” is a question that you can get a good and visual answer for. PR has matured much since the days it used to measure success by mere number of media placements and clippings. Goals and objectives today are much more advanced and are based on its core strategic competencies. These include change in public behavior, predispositions, reputation and market position. Yes, it’s nice to get many media placements, but has all this activity contributed to the ultimate goal of improving your reputation for something?

Costs: In a nutshell – not what you thought.  PR today attracts more small businesses and individuals due to the fact that for every dollar you inject into your campaigns your return is guaranteed to exceed your expectations.

We are blessed to be in the center of a flourishing industry and one that only gains more momentum every day. Although PR crises this year have put the limelight on our actions, you will find Public Relations growing in the routine work, as well. The process of becoming one of the strongest industries within the media & communications field has reached a milestone now that the playing field was “cleared” and cleaned by recent mergers.

This week has been hectic. No evening has seen me home before 10PM, with early morning meetings, and I am admittedly tired and looking forward to the weekend…

Two meetings that I had yesterday were really inspirational, and allow me to continue to work as much and as hard as I do toward my desires to keep growing this PR firm:

–I sat today with a self-made billionaire who is at the top of his game in his particular market.  He’s an individual who walked in alone, spent 2 hours in our conference room, and spoke with such passion about his desire to keep growing his business that it inspired me. We agreed to reconnect in 10 days with a full-blown marketing plan.

 –The second meeting was with an entrepreneur under the age of 40 who has sold 2 companies for very healthy exits, and is now starting his 3^rd company.  I asked him: “Why?”…. he half laughed and said, “What else could I do?”

 Clearly both of these men don’t have to work again in their lives, but they choose to. Its entrepreneurs like these, who arrive by themselves, are down to earth, approachable, hard working and seemingly decent people that make 80-hour work weeks livable, but I still can’t wait for the Friday night whistle this week.

Ronn Torossian

Wow! What a day – exhausting and exhilarating. Hour after hour, day after day – PR –non-stop fun & draining at the same time. And they call it work?

•     6:00 AM – Did the loop on my bike in Central Park before a quick steam at the gym.

•     8:30 AM – Breakfast meeting. I remembered en route why I never leave my office during the dreaded UN Week in NYC – horrible traffic. We discussed China-US economies and ongoing PR/communications plans.

•     Mid-Morning – Met with 5WPR client, Limelight Marketplace’s CEO. This is a client for whom I am really very, very proud of the work we have been able to accomplish – regular top-tier coverage. We walked the space and reviewed ongoing activities and campaigns. Enjoyed the time.

•     12:00 PM – Returned to office for a sit-down and a quick bite with a new employee.

•     12:30 PM – Returned a few media and client calls. Returned emails, strategized with a team regarding a client.

•     2:30 PM – New Business Meeting. It was exciting; my team presented a great plan and it was an ideal fit. I hope and think that we will get the client.

•     5:00 PM – Met with an attorney who called last night with a crisis PR communications project. We were hired 30 minutes into the meeting, and that let out around 7:45. Communication is a ‘round-the-clock’ challenge to a large organization.

Now, 10:15 PM, and I’m still at my desk finishing up some internal paperwork. I’m tired but loving my work. And to think, wow, we actually get paid (well) for this … work?

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

I am spending 5 days in Kiev, Ukraine with a client and strategic partner with whom we do a lot of business. I’ve made a few random observations while here spending time with this one particular major client and pursuing other business opportunities in this major Eastern European city.

-The concept of a global village is very much alive here – People here all have good relationships in every niche of the world.  There is a tremendous amount of wealth here amongst a segment of the population as evidenced at restaurants, where Audemars Piguets and Bentleys are more prominent here than anywhere I have ever seen in the world. I was surprised at just how deep relationships run for business people here not just in the US, but worldwide. It is a constant reminder of how much the world truly is a global village.

-Blackberry addictions are much less apparent here than elsewhere.  People certainly use their phones and Blackberries, but telephone use is more than just texting.

-While mass media is important, so too is word-of-mouth media – In many senses because everyone understands that media and government aren’t always what they seem to be.  There is plenty of room throughout Europe for effective word-of-mouth media campaigns.

PR & Marketing food for thought from Kiev, Ukraine

Ronn Torossian
5WPR