Owning a Public Relations firm, a fundamental concept often ignored in our industry is the old concept of K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

Reading the papers this morning, we learn that for the first time ever, in anticipation of the Super Bowl, the National Football League (NFL) opened up media day to fans.  For only $25 fans could attend media day, sit in seats close to the field, eavesdrop via headsets they were provided and observe the interaction between players, coaches and media on a 1^st hand basis.

Big kudos to the NFL for this easy and great idea – It allows fans to feel more connected to the players (at an affordable price rather than the staggering ticket prices for the big game), and there’s very little downside for the NFL.  It’s a great simple idea, and in a world so open because of all the media outlets which exist, this is a great sports PR move by the NFL. It’s a win for all involved.

As an attendee, Mike Galford was quoted in countless newswires saying: “We’re the social media generation. We’re not going to wait for the media to tell us what happened on media day. We’re going to see it for ourselves. This is awesome.”

I agree – Kudos to the NFL.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

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http://www.amazon.com/Immediate-Release-Deliver-Game-Changing-Relations/dp/1936661160/ref=zg_bs_2711_3

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/for-immediate-release-ronn-torossian/1102047620

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Ronn Torossian on Israel & Jewish related issues:

http://www.algemeiner.com/author/ronn-torossian/

And of course in a world with so much noise, there’s always email: Rtorossian@5wpr.com, and of course the good old fashioned phone: 212-999-5585

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

Public Relations is an industry from which it is not easy to determine an exact ROI from – and there’s nary a PR Agency in 2012 that works strictly in media relations (which can be measured) -  many, like my firm 5WPR provide full service marketing and PR services. So what are some byproducts of PR that aren’t easy to provide an exact dollar figure to ?

INFLUENCER RELATIONS:  Malcolm Gladwell in his legendary book “The Tipping Point” called it “The Law of the Few” where he said:”The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts.” Economists call it the “80/20 Principle” – where 80 percent of the ‘work’ will be done by 20 percent of the participants.” Influencers move sales often times, and a good PR firm can connect clients to influencers – whether it’s the cool and connected moms (like we do for client brands like Bornfree), nightclub/entertainment mavens who can influence celebrities (i.e. Mark Birnbaum of EMM Group), or in politics rather than connecting to politicians, you reach their lobbyists or uber-influential attorneys like Jay Sekulow.

INTRODUCTIONS:  A Good PR Company introduces clients to one another and connects people together. I learned last week that a client whom we had represented for 3+years until the midst of the economic downturn forced the company to pare budgets had recently completed a major deal with another former client of ours. It took time – as many big deals do, but it’s not something which is directly measureable when one looks at the “ROI” of PR.

INFLUENCE – We have a client who we have represented exactly 1 year – their annual budget with us is around $125,000 and we have done absolutely amazing work as the client regularly tells me – but on off days he’s complained to me that the company web sales from PR aren’t exactly where he wants them to be (and he cited it when giving us a minor raise for Year 2 of our program). And he says PR should move the mark more. Low and behold at his industry’s largest annual trade show one of America’s largest wholesalers sought the company out at the show and bought a huge amount of product – and cited the outstanding publicity program and a specific placement we had secured.  Was thrilled to hear it – and yet another proof of PR’s tremendous ROI.

Of course, traditional and digital PR programs, media relations and all the rest are obvious ROI’s on top of the above bullet points. With Public Relations recently being named for the 2^nd year in a row as one of the most stressful jobs in America, all of us in PR have to do more to educate clients on the tremendous ROI which an effective Public Relations program has.

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5WPR, a Top 25 PR Agency and author of Amazon best-selling PR book “For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations.”

“Shouting fire in a crowded theatre” is a well known paraphrase of a U.S. Supreme Court decision which served as an example of the limitations on free speech, when the speech is imminently dangerous and has no conceivable purpose.   In a world where we have seen real revolutions in part because of digital media, its interesting that everyone today has digital media to amplify whatever noise they’d like to make – good or bad – and can utilize media without a filter.

Its on the backs of Wikileaks pressure by the American government to shut down – including pressuring financial companies not to process payment, threatened prosecutions and the like – that a close friend of mine for many years, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of the Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, is all over the media today threatening to sue Twitter for allowing terrorists to use the digital media network. Trust me, I know her – she is smart, focused and ideological – a formidable opponent raising a valid point. If the US government deems these organizations illegal and they cant raise funds – why can they amplify their message freely to Americans ?

Leitner’s organization, The Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, is a civil rights organization dedicated to “combating the terrorist organizations and the regimes that support them through lawsuits litigated in courtrooms around the world.” They have done a lot of good worldwide to fight terrorism via lawfare – utilizing the courtroom to battle Anti-Western interests.  Hezbollah, al Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab and others violate American law by using Twitter. A breakdown of terrorists utilizing social media is at: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/01/most-infamous-terrorists-twitter/46852/

The ACLU says “the government can’t force private companies to censor lawful speech just because the government doesn’t like the speech or the people making the speech.” Does that mean I can go online and scream fire in a crowded theatre ? Can I behave however I want simply because I am online and hidden behind a computer screen ?

While Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently cited President Obama as believing that “the more freely information flows, the stronger societies become”, one wonders where the administration will stand if mass rioting was sparked by digital media.  UK authorities say rioters used social networks to coordinate mass civil disobedience earlier this year in London.  State prosecutors in Mexico have accused people of terrorism and sabotage by claiming that their Twitter posts helped spread false rumors about a school attack, leading to real-life violence.

Its no secret that the terrorists are public relations savvy and very concerned with brand and image.  As was recently reported, Al Qaeda is concerned about the baggage associated with that name, and is increasingly going by the name “Ansar al Sharia” because of concern about their brand. Its no secret that American PR Agencies have represented Qaddafi, Assad, and just last year Qatar hired a leading U.S. PR firm to lobby for the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip.

Darshan-Leitner stopped the second Gaza flotilla earlier this year, and has won lawsuits against Hamas, Hizbollah and the Palestinian Authority.  I am sure Twitter’s going to be answering this one pretty soon. I’d venture that a modern “fire in a crowded theatre” discussion may be coming to a courtroom near us very soon.

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5WPR, a Top 25 PR Agency and has a best-selling PR book“For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations” an Amazon best selling Public Relations book available for purchase at: http://www.amazon.com/Immediate-Release-Deliver-Game-Changing-Relations/dp/1936661160

Its an inevitability – a company, or a government agency, or anyone for that matter hires a PR agency, and someone questions it – Why do they need a PR firm ? No one ever reads articles about why someone needs a lawyer, an accountant or an architect – but a big bad Public Relations pro – wow lets write an article.

In this recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle there’s a story about how the  U.S. Treasury Department, has hired an outside public relations agency  to remind people it’s ending paper bond sales after 2011. And of course the inevitable “It seems odd that the government would spend money promoting something that many Americans are sorry to see go.”

And forcing someone to explain why they are paying an agency “ She would not disclose how much it’s paying Weber Shandwick, but says the firm was hired to do other projects as well. She adds that the expenditure is “very, very tiny” compared to the $120 million the Treasury expects to save over five years by cutting out paper bond sales.”

Just tired of the attacks upon the PR industry – why don’t they find someone else to pick on ?

Ronn Torossian, CEO, 5WPR