Web
Site Highlights Hanser & Associates’ Expertise
DES MOINES (September 13, 2004) – Hanser
& Associates is highlighted this fall on the Web site of New
York-based Council of Public Relations Firms, a trade association
representing 100 of America’s leading public relations firms. Des
Moines-based Hanser & Associates,
Ronald Hanser, president of
Hanser & Associates, authored five Web log articles
regarding PR issues on the Council’s Web site www.prfirms.org
during 2004. The articles, known as “blog” entries, were
on topics including Reputation Management, PR for Growth, Credibility,
Building Trust and Measuring PR’s Value.
“We are honored that our firm and the
practice of public relations in the
ABOUT HANSER & ASSOCIATES
Hanser
& Associates is a team of public relations specialists that helps
companies build and maintain relationships with the people who are
important to their future. Co-owned by Ronald Hanser and
Read
Hanser’s blog entries below.
Laws of Reputation Management (8.16.04)
The Wall Street Journal editor Ronald J. Alsop’s new book, The 18 Immutable Laws of Corporate Reputation http://www.wsjbooks.com/18laws-intro.htm , presents a convincing argument for building and maintaining reputation as a top management priority.
The book’s lessons distilled: Do the Right Thing for key constituents, especially customers, and all other laws of managing corporate reputation pretty much fall into place. But reputation’s value, and the role of protecting it, is too important to oversimplify this book.
Corporate reputation strengthens in good times and protects in turbulent times.
Bottom line: Reputations are worth more than companies are now spending to manage them.
CEOs Should Turn to Public Relations for Growth (8.23.04)
Smart CEOs know that PR’s role has evolved to “What to do?” from “How to say it?” and ”What to say?” They’re turning to PR to build brand and sustain growth during our industry’s current Golden Era.
PR should be central in strategies to sustain corporate growth, a chief concern for successful companies worldwide, according to The CEO Challenge 2004 <http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=2455> released in August by The Conference Board.
According to the report, the majority of all CEOs cite sustained or steady top-line growth as being of greatest concern. While growth is “job one” for CEOs of most leading companies, and increasing innovation is seen as the key to prosperity, CEOs say that the ability of an organization to learn and move smartly and quickly is more critical than ever to competitive advantage.
PR can help organizations move smarter and faster – in the right directions.
Olympian Quest for Credibility (8.30.04)
Corporations' quests for credibility have been among the “gold medal” performances at the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games, as recently reported in Detroit Free Press < http://www.freep.com/sports/2004olympics/swatch4_20040804.htm >.
Marketing execs are increasingly turning to product placement to offset the declined effectiveness of advertising as a strategy to build credibility. Swatch Group’s product placement as Official Timekeeper of the International Olympic Committee and Adidas’ placement as the official outfitter for the U.S. Olympians this year seems to be setting new records as a replacement for advertising. Another example is Reebok providing uniforms for Olympians from seven nations and introducing its Gold sneaker collection, with names like Gold Medalist, for purchase by the worldwide public. The Olympic Games’ Web site < http://www.athens2004.com/en/OlympicPartners > provides details.
Product placement in television programming is increasing for the same reasons.
There are no sure-fire successes in this arena. But, as with other PR tactics, effectiveness of product placement is measurable. Companies are specializing in measurement < http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/8/prweb146868.htm > , including exposure generated by a particular brand, number of mentions associated to the brand, manner in which the brand was portrayed and total value of the placement.
Building credibility is one of the greatest challenges facing American CEOs today, so we’ll likely see more television and event-related PR programming and product placement intended to bring home the gold for corporate America.
“Be Prepared” by Building Trust (9.7.04)
The Boy Scouts got it right. Corporate execs would benefit from following their motto, “Be Prepared”.
Building trust, especially in times of crisis, is one of the greatest challenges facing American CEOs today. Smart executives are turning to public relations to build trust – and brand – for the “good times” and to sustain their corporations when the inevitable “bad things” happen.
There are no sure things, so companies need to prepare for the worst. A crisis communications plan should include strategies and action for each likely scenario, whether it is a financial crisis, product recall, illegal acts of employees or others. PR firms work alongside our clients to practice for the best and be prepared for the worst.
The focus of crisis communications experts is upon your specific situation – the problems your organization faces and your unique culture in identifying and resolving issues that could lead to a crisis. Preparation includes readiness to ACT: Action taken immediately; Caring, compassion and concern expressed to those affected; and Truth told.
The Public Relations Coalition, of which the Council of Public Relations Firm is a member, has developed broader practical models for restoring trust in business. The publication “Restoring Trust in Business” <http://www.corporatecomm.org/pdf/PRCoalitionPaper_9_11Final.pdf > examines three elements of trust – ethics, disclosure and measurement – and is a worthwhile read for leaders wanting to be prepared.
Measuring Stakeholders, PR’s Value (9.13.04)
Peter Drucker said, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Today, PR firms must continue to define the value of PR's management function by delivering measurable results.
Measurement has grown beyond counting outputs (i.e., news releases distributed) and outcomes (i.e., news/editorial placed and total impressions delivered) to counting the “bottom line” – measuring progress toward business goals including increased sales leads, employee retention, etc.
One important measurement role is to understand what stakeholders are saying about the organization, and world-class PR firms now understand and monitor social media (http://www.corante.com/many/archives/2004/07/22/discussing_social_media.php). To understand the importance of this competency, consider the effect of 120,000 consumers turning a San Francisco lawsuit into a national food industry crisis. More: (http://www.buzzmetrics.com/about/pc_news_transfat.htm).
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