Our Services: Public Relations

PR Done Right - Seeding the Competitive Mental Angle

First things first...

PR is ideal to launch positioning. As the basis for proactive PR, a company's demonstrable story is the perfect starting foundation from which to launch positioning strategy in the public mind. Why? Because PR is focused on company action and public service, rather than selling and self-interest, and as such, PR may be endorsed by third parties, and reported on by objective media. To the public, it's always more credible than advertising. And credibility builds against the competition, giving the requisite competitive mental angle needed to position your product and seed it as a brand with meaning in the mind of the prospect.

PR is the most relevant communications medium. In the world of online content and the dominance of search, PR is unavoidable and all companies will participate in this space whether they do so intentionally or not. Innis Maggiore deploys public relations intentionally and with the devices of relevance that are required in this online world. Seeding a competitive mental angle will happen intentionally or organically -- we recommend the intentional approach so that the mental angle is a representation of your brand.

Truth, not "spin."

There are plenty of misguided ideas about PR, and a couple we'd like to set straight, starting with the idea that PR is like "free advertising."

PR is not advertising. Nor is it "spin" - the notion of putting things in such a way that they're intended to send one off in another direction. Intentionally misleading an audience to make something seem better than its reality is lying; PR is about telling the truth.

Arthur W. Page, America's first corporate PR officer (AT&T, 1927), saw public relations as a company's active duty to serve the public, given that they live by public authority and approval:

"A company is chartered by public authority to benefit the public, and public authority can at any time limit its functions, its methods or abolish it altogether....The fundamental way of getting public approval is to deserve it." -- Arthur W. Page

For better or worse, respond. In the best cases, great companies have great stories to tell, best demonstrated and reported by their actions, in communities, leadership, innovation, and newsworthy achievements. And in cases of uncertainty or crisis, companies have an urgent responsibility to communicate in a timely manner, even if facts are not yet available, and all that can be done is to express resolve or reassurance, that must be done. The bottom line is that a company must always acknowledge its public with a response in a time of crisis.