Lifestyle

What Do PR Firms Do?

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Ever wonder why certain brands stand out in the marketplace or how they consistently garner positive media attention? The secret behind successful brands is effective public relations managed by reputed PR firms. But what do PR firms do precisely? This question often bothers business owners seeking to establish a presence in the industry. Considering that reputation and public perception can make or break a company, understanding what PR firms do is essential.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve deep into the roles and responsibilities of PR firms, emphasizing their indispensable contribution to achieving a company’s strategic goals. From the nuances of B2B public relations to the intricacies of managing B2C public relations and the dynamic environment of public relations companies in Los Angeles, we’ll cover it all below.

Defining Public Relations: The Art of Shaping Perceptions

Public relations is the strategic communication process that creates mutually favorable relationships between the public and organizations. But what do public relations firms do? They manage the spread of information between an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or nonprofit organization) and the public. The goal? To paint the clients in the best light possible, often translating to shaping public perception, managing crises, and fostering goodwill.

The Multifaceted Roles of PR Firms

What do PR firms do besides crafting press releases or handling crises? The reality is far more complex, as these firms wear many hats depending on every client’s needs.

Image and Brand Management: PR firms construct a company’s public persona. They strategically shape perceptions and narratives, ensuring the brand image remains consistent, relatable, and positively received by the target audience. These crafted images help businesses connect emotionally, build trust, and stand out in the competitive marketplace, fostering loyalty and engagement.

Media Relations: Acting as intermediaries, PR firms navigate the complex media landscape. They foster relationships with journalists and influencers, aiming to secure beneficial coverage. Through carefully crafted messages and strategic timing, these professionals convey the client’s narratives, announcements, or responses, ensuring a consistent brand voice throughout various media outlets.

Crisis Management: When scandals or emergencies strike, PR firms step in to control damage. They develop strategies, communicate with stakeholders, and release official statements to manage the narrative. This proactive approach, timely responses, and transparent communication help to mitigate adverse impacts, restore public trust, and ensure the company’s reputation remains intact.

Event Coordination: PR firms excel in creating impactful events that enhance brand image. From organizing product launches to press conferences, they manage every detail meticulously. PR firms design these events to generate buzz, provide memorable experiences, and strengthen relationships with customers, stakeholders, and the media, ultimately bolstering the brand’s public profile.

Diving Deep into B2B and B2C Public Relations

While the core of what PR firms do remains the same, strategies diverge when dealing with businesses versus consumers, often known as B2C, and understanding these subtleties is crucial.

B2B Public Relations: Winning Trust in the Corporate Arena

B2B PR involves managing relationships and communicating strategically with other businesses. It’s about building a reputation for reliability, expertise, and consistency in delivering value. But what do PR firms do in the B2B context exactly, and how do they navigate this intricate landscape?

Thought Leadership: PR firms strategically position clients as industry vanguards. Through insightful white papers, industry panel discussions, and keynote speeches, they highlight the clients’ expertise and vision. This promotion not only underscores their authority but also sets them apart from competitors, influencing peers and attracting opportunities for growth and collaboration.

Industry Relations: Within industry networks, PR professionals operate with finesse. They cultivate strategic alliances, engaging peers, competitors, and industry bodies. By identifying synergies and facilitating partnerships, they enhance the client’s standing in the community, which is crucial for reputation management, competitive positioning, and long-term business sustainability.

Crisis Mitigation: The volatile nature of public opinion makes crisis mitigation essential. PR firms develop robust strategies, anticipating potential threats. In times of turmoil, they act swiftly, implementing these plans to manage flow, address stakeholder concerns, and stabilize the situation. This adept crisis response safeguards reputations, maintaining company integrity and public trust.

B2C Public Relations: Capturing Consumer Hearts

Conversely, B2C public relations revolve around market sentiments, consumer perception, and direct communication with end-users. This arena buzzes with brand awareness campaigns, product launches, and social media interactions, all tailored to engage the public’s voice and attention.

Product Launches and Reviews: PR firms handle everything from press releases to influencer collaborations to orchestrate successful product debuts. They strategically plan the reveal, ensuring it resonates with target audiences and stands out in the market. Additionally, by facilitating product reviews, they generate excitement and anticipation within the audience, influencing public perception and consumer decision-making and ultimately driving initial sales momentum.

Consumer Engagement: In the digital age, direct consumer interaction is vital. PR firms leverage social media platforms to bridge the gap between companies and customers. Through curated posts, response management, and engagement tactics, they humanize brands, create vibrant online communities, and strengthen consumer loyalty. This ongoing dialogue enhances customer experience, fosters brand advocates, and amplifies positive word-of-mouth referrals.

Crisis Management: Consumer-oriented crises require immediate responses. PR firms specialize in reputation management, swiftly addressing adverse incidents or public dissatisfaction. They craft transparent, empathetic communications, handle media inquiries, and provide guidance on the next steps. Their intervention helps companies preserve customer trust, mitigate potential backlash, and navigate the situation with the brand’s integrity intact, ensuring a resilient public standing.

The Pinnacle of Influence – Top PR Agencies

Why do companies, especially in bustling urban entrepreneurial landscapes, reach out to top PR agencies? The answer is simple. These firms are known for their strategic prowess, extensive connections, and seasoned experience in navigating the complex pathways of public opinion. Notably, public relations companies in Los Angeles stand out due to their proximity to vast networking opportunities, media houses, and a diverse client base that spans multiple industries.

Why Location Matters: Spotlight on Los Angeles

In the realm of public relations, location is strategic. Public relations companies in Los Angeles, a bustling hub of commerce and culture, are uniquely positioned. Here’s why:

Networking Epicenter: LA thrives with media giants and notable influencers, presenting endless networking prospects. PR firms leverage this environment, connecting with power players.

Media Relations: Being close to leading media outlets provides a distinct edge. Los Angeles-based PR firms capitalize on this, facilitating prominent exposure and impactful brand narratives for clients.

Diverse Industry Landscape: The city hosts various industries, from tech to entertainment. This diversity enables PR firms to develop extensive expertise and navigate different sectors skillfully.

Qualities That Set Top PR Agencies Apart

Top PR agencies aren’t just about a prominent client list. Leading PR agencies embody certain qualities, such as:

Strategic Storytelling: PR firms master crafting engaging stories, aligning narratives with the client’s brand and objectives to captivate target demographics and foster brand connection and loyalty.

Innovative Approach: These agencies pioneer unique engagement strategies. They transcend standard practices, initiating trends that elevate client profiles in the crowded marketplace.

Results-Driven Mindset: These firms prioritize tangible results. They aim to make discernible impacts through increased visibility, enhanced brand reputation, and crisis management.

Specialized PR Fields – Technology, Thought Leadership, and More

As the industry evolves, so do the niches within it. Fields like technology PR and thought leadership have emerged, requiring specialized and innovative strategies tailored to unique audience needs.

Technology PR: Navigating Innovation and Users

Technology PR is a realm where innovation meets the dynamic market, and public relations strategies play a crucial role in how consumers understand and embrace new technology.

B2B Technology PR: In this area, PR firms demystify complex technological solutions for businesses and showcase how they can improve operations or bottom lines.

B2C Technology PR: This type of public relations involves translating complex tech jargon into benefits for the average consumer, highlighting ease of use and life-enhancing features.

Establishing Authority through Thought Leadership

Thought leadership is about establishing a reputation as a field expert. It involves contributing new ideas, providing insightful commentary, and being the go-to source for industry insights.

Content Creation: PR agencies specialize in producing compelling, authoritative content. This strategic material strengthens brand credibility and effectively engages target audiences.

Public Engagement: From speaking opportunities to industry-wide panel discussions, they create platforms for direct audience interaction, solidifying the client’s role as a thought leader.

Essential PR Tools – Earned Media and Content Development

In the arsenal of any reputable PR firm are two tools: earned media and content development. These elements are crucial in creating organic reach and providing valuable material for engagement.

The Power of Earned Media

Unlike paid advertising, earned media is about publicity obtained through promotional efforts other than paid media advertising. But what do PR firms do with earned media? They strategically capitalize on this aspect, understanding that it’s a crucial component that provides a form of third-party endorsement, often seen as more genuine compared to traditional advertising.

Media Coverage: PR firms work diligently to secure valuable coverage in digital publications or television news segments. By achieving these placements, they provide the clients with an invaluable asset – third-party validation from reputable sources. This type of endorsement can significantly influence public perception, enhancing a brand’s credibility in the eyes of potential customers.

Social Proof: In today’s interconnected world, we cannot overstate the power of social proof. PR professionals strive to create a positive buzz around a brand through word-of-mouth, social media shares, testimonials, and reviews. This strategy doesn’t just increase brand visibility; it cements its reputation as a reliable entity, influencing potential customers’ decision-making processes.

Content Development: More than Just Words

Content development is the art of generating informative and engaging material that resonates with target audiences. This strategic creation and distribution of content go beyond mere volume. The focus is on the caliber, ensuring it serves the audience’s needs while reflecting the brand’s identity.

Multimedia Content: In the digital era, audiences crave diverse content forms. Recognizing this, PR firms produce dynamic videos, infographics, and podcasts. These compelling formats offer valuable insights, catering to the evolving consumption patterns of modern audiences. By encapsulating information in an engaging way, they enhance the audience’s connection with the brand.

Educational Material: Knowledge is power, and PR firms harness this by creating in-depth educational resources. These materials, including white papers, e-books, and webinars, serve as authoritative content pieces that explore industry-specific subjects. They not only assert the company’s position as an industry expert but also provide learning avenues for the audience.

So, What Do PR Firms Do?

They work tirelessly behind the scenes, shaping perceptions, telling stories, navigating crises, and building an image of authority for the clients. Their work is all-encompassing, from the specialized realms of B2B public relations to the direct-to-consumer strategies of B2C public relations.

Whether making technology accessible and exciting or establishing industry leaders through strategic thought leadership, PR firms’ roles are undeniably integral to business success. Understanding what public relations firms do underscores the value of these partnerships in achieving business goals. In the dynamic, ever-evolving business landscape, leveraging the unique expertise of PR professionals is not just beneficial; it’s essential.

So, are you ready to transform your brand’s public image and market influence? Partner with a leading force in the industry. Contact Avaans Media for a free consultation today.

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Social Media Influencers: When To Disclose

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Updated FTC Guidance on Influencer Marketing Disclosure

Updated July 13, 2023

 

The FTC’s job is to preserve consumer trust. When the FTC adds clarity to its regulations, the purpose is usually to make the guidelines more clear, and therefore easier to follow.

This is an important announcement if you use influencer marketing or consumer reviews.

The updated FTC guidance covers:

1) articulating a new principle regarding procuring, suppressing, boosting, organizing, publishing, upvoting, down voting, or editing consumer reviews so as to distort what consumers think of a product; 2) addressing incentivized reviews, reviews by employees and fake negative reviews of a competitor; 3) adding a definition of “clear and conspicuous” and saying that a platform’s built-in disclosure tool might not be an adequate disclosure; 4) changing the definition of “endorsements” to clarify the extent to which it includes fake reviews, virtual influencers, and tags in social media; 5) better explaining the potential liability of advertisers, endorsers, and intermediaries; and 6) highlighting that child-directed advertising is of special concern.

 

 

You can read about the announcement here:

FTC updated guidance on deceptive reviews 

 

May 9, 2017:

Because of continuing conversations with colleagues, brands, and influencers, I wanted to put some guidelines together for based on the FTC’s native advertising guidelines or influencer disclosure.

The FTC has shot some arrows over the bow in the last several years regarding native advertising disclosure, including calling out Warner Bros. and Lord and Taylor.

In both cases, the brand was held liable, not the influencers or content creators, strongly signaling that it’s the brand’s responsibility to ensure disclosure. But, the FTC native advertising guidelines make it clear: ” …the FTC has taken action against other parties who helped create deceptive advertising content – for example, ad agencies and operators of affiliate advertising networks.  Everyone who participates directly or indirectly in creating or presenting native ads should make sure that ads don’t mislead consumers about their commercial nature.”

Basically, no one is off the hook.

As if by magic, the FTC slapped 45 celebrity influencers with warning letters but didn’t forget to include their agents and the brands – in total 90 letters were issued about the FTC native advertising guidelines. It’s safe to say this isn’t going away. It’s always been best practice, but if you didn’t take it seriously before, it’s time to do so now.

My view is this: disclosure and transparency are good for all.

A brand should have no shame about showcasing its products and experiences in a real life scenario. Influencers shouldn’t have shame either, because working with a brand is a badge of honor. It’s a real compliment to a community that a brand values their eyeballs. If you’re ashamed of working with a particular brand or influencer, perhaps you’re working with the wrong partner.

Often times when I have conversations about disclosure with brands and influencers, I get questions like “what if…we do….”

Whether you are a brand or an influencer, if you’re asking questions about how to get around these guidelines, you’re on the wrong track. The guidelines make it very clear: make it obvious to an uneducated viewer that there is a material relationship (basically, anything which might effect the outcome of the endorsement). Influencers are often concerned about “selling out” their community. As an influencer, if you’re making a living from your community with native advertising and you’re not disclosing those relationships, you’re REALLY selling them out.

The Edelman Trust Barometer makes it clear: trust is in crisis. 

Establishing trust and adhering to guidelines is necessary for native advertising and influencer relations to continue. If trust is eroded the FTC guidelines won’t be at fault for the collapse of social native advertising.

So here are the guidelines based on reading hundreds of pages including all of the FTC links provided below.

When do social media influencers need to disclose a relationship with a brand?

Always.

Does this apply to me?

Yes.

Why does it matter?

The FTC says it does.
Consumer trust is important to all of us. 

How do I disclose?

Make it “clear and conspicuous” and leave no doubt.

If you want to read through the FTC’s own words on this:

FTC Native Advertising Guideline Resources

.com Disclosures (2013)

Native Advertising: A Guide For Business

FTC Endorsement Guidelines: What People Are Asking (2015)

The Lord & Taylor Disclosure Case-FTC Blog (2015)

The Warner Bros Disclosure Case-FTC Blog (2015)

Enforcement Policy Statement On Deceptively Formatted Ads (2015)

 

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What is Consumer PR?

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Consumer PR is the reputation and awareness building brands do to improve their image to the public. From purpose-driven PR to product launches and experiential PR, consumer PR gives consumers an additional positive touchpoint that builds trust, anticipation, and loyalty from consumers. Consumer PR is an effective lever for ambitious brands, particularly during hyper-growth or product launch phases. This is in contrast to B2B PR, which seeks to improve the reputation and awareness of a company within a particular business vertical. Brands know new customers buy faster and existing customers buy more often from brands they can feel good about. Consumer PR can take on many sub-forms of public relations, including:

  • Community Relations: building relationships with community stakeholders.
  • Product Public Relations: Product reviews and placements in consumer publications.
  • Purpose-Driven PR: Proactive values that incorporate social, cultural, and environmental issues.
  • Experiential PR: Opportunities for the public to engage directly with the brand in-person.
  • Integrated PR: PR campaigns that use paid avenues to create media coverage and word of mouth.

Why do companies engage in consumer product PR?

PR is the most trusted form of awareness building. Consumers trust reviews more than any other type of product awareness, like advertising. Reviews can come as online reviews, and even from influencers and bloggers or can come from media outlets. Media outlet coverage is particularly coveted because not only does it have powerful sway, it adds extra brand cache and it sticks around for a long time online. For DTC and e-commerce brands media coverage also improves SEO, a really important ingredient in online sales. Investors also like to see a brand in the media; it provides valuable social proof.

Consumer product PR can be approached from a long-term strategic process or as the consumer PR campaigns during certain times of the year.

Why would companies engage in community relations? 

Anytime a company needs its local community’s support, community relations matters. Sometimes brands want to be good community partners because it makes recruiting for top talent easier. Or maybe they want to expand, and they need City Council approval on a piece of land they’re eyeing. Or perhaps the brand values being a good neighbor to the communities in which it operates. 

Why would a brand engage in Purpose-Driven PR? 

Brands engage in purpose-driven PR for a variety of reasons. One can certainly be to improve their brand image in the eyes of their customers. You will often see purpose-driven brands publish an annual report. Not only does this report track its own progress, but it also provides the public with the progress as well. We tell our clients that strategic purpose-driven PR should be systemic, and externally virtuous, but meaty and measurable.

Why would a brand engage in experiential PR? 

When you think of cutting-edge sports, what brand comes to mind? It’s probably RedBull. RedBull became a household name through events. That’s because RedBull’s brand is inextricably tied to cutting-edge sports. Their support and engagement of some of these sports basically gave legitimacy to the X Games because competitors could finally focus their efforts entirely on their sport. In fact, RedBull created the first international kiteboarding competition. RedBull’s commitment to extreme events and competitors keeps them at the forefront of beverage brand awareness. Experiential events can be expensive, but when you consider the ROI both in advertising dollars saved and PR and brand affinity, experiential events are powerful tools in the consumer PR arsenal.

Why would a brand engage in integrated PR? 

The best integrated PR campaigns use many marketing PR levers to make an impact. An example of this would be Coinbase. In 2022, they purchased a Super Bowl ad that was nothing but a QR code. Millions of viewers stared at their screens in awe that a brand would purchase one of the most expensive ads in history and do nothing but float a QR code across the screen. But that was the entire point. In fact, for many consumer brands, the reason to purchase a Super Bowl is the added PR coverage around Super Bowl ads. Weeks before the Super Bowl, consumer brands release their ads, either to the press or the wider public on YouTube, to ensure their creative ad gets the free press it deserves.

 

Brands that build loyalty and love through PR grow faster and have higher customer retention, and consumer PR improves other initiatives such as fundraising, that are vital to a thriving brand If you’re interested in consumer PR, contact us. We’re a top-rated consumer PR agency.

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3 Marketing Trends for CPG Startups

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Not too long ago, DTC brands were on a tear. The Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry grew at an incredible rate during the 2020 pandemic lockdown – to $933 billion up 10.4% from the previous year. And it wasn’t just the big brands who saw that growth, boutique CPG brands reported revenue growth up 18.3%, compared to 7.5% from large CPG brand manufacturers. But recent changes in digital marketing, along with supply chain issues, have made 2022 more challenging for startup DTC brands. So, given the squeeze they’re experiencing, what CPG marketing trends will give them the most bang for their buck?

 

More recently, CPG and DTC brands have seen some challenging times, especially those in the earlier phases who had hoped to grow with VC funding. But since VC funding has become more competitive, it’s more important than ever for consumer brands to leverage all their strengths.

CPG and DTC Brands with Purpose

This first one is a bit of a misnomer because, realistically, purpose-driven CPG brands are an inside-out job, not simply a marketing initiative. And yet, for those CPG startup brands who can find an authentic purpose, the activation opportunities are endless. This isn’t so much a CPG marketing trend as much as it is a brand proposition.

47% of consumers say they’d switched products or services after a company violated their personal values. 

Consumers are increasingly demanding sustainable and natural products in everything from beauty to wellness to food. Searches for “cruelty-free” products increased by 400% between 2012-2022. And it isn’t just consumers. 86% of employees want to know they work for organizations with an environment, social, and ethical business practices (ESG). While we typically think about large brands doing most of the heavy lifting on ESG initiatives, startup CPG brands can create a bigger splash, reduce operational expenses, and increase customer loyalty by doing their part as well.

CPG PR & Influencer Marketing

TV ads are still the first choice for legacy CPG companies, and that’s because they know becoming a household name takes repeated exposure. But ambitious startup brands without the multi-million dollar ad budget are finding excellent success with CPG PR and even seasonal sprint PR programs. From wellness products to beauty products, CPG brands know the value of trusted recommendations, like magazines.

Trust isn’t a CPG marketing trend – it’s a requirement. 

And because of the importance of the trust factor, startup CPG brands are also turning to influencer marketing. But they’re doing it most often with micro-influencers (between 1,000-10,000 followers). While micro-influencer campaigns are considerably more effort to manage, the results can be impressive because micro-influencers typically have higher conversion rates and that’s because they are more relatable and trustworthy than celebrities.  And it isn’t only CPG brands finding success with micro-influencers, consumer tech brands are doubling down on influencer campaigns too.

 

Product Personalization

Marketing trends for CPG startups come and go, but one consumer trend that isn’t going away is personalization. With new AI technologies, this will become even more relevant, even for challenger brands. Consumers are opening their pocketbooks for DTC startups that offer personalized products; 71% of consumers expect personalization. In some cases, consumers are willing to give up product effectiveness to a more tailored product. From personalized product recommendations to celebrating milestones, today’s consumer expects even CPG startups to know them as customers.

Millennials, already spending more on self-care than any other generation before (2X more than baby boomers) are driving the demand for personalized CPG products. Already, 70% of the top DTC subscription brands use product quizzes to help personalize the customer experience. Not only does this increase consumer loyalty, but it provides a pleathora of data that can be used in future retargeting and PR campaigns.

Millennials are also driving another CPG trend: CBD. While 28% of consumers already use CBD, 56% of millennials do. They’re leading the charge that fuels the 4X growth in CBD products projected between 2020-2026. From pets to skincare, CBD is still a very in-demand product.

 

One thing is for certain, CPG startups aren’t going away, and neither are marketing trends for CPG startups. The internet has supercharged the consumer’s ability to find and purchase products – and it means CPG products in every category have more competitors than ever before. Brands that invest in savvy CPG marketing and PR will have the upper hand with customer acquisition and loyalty. And that means they’ll have more longevity than ever before. Whether you’re looking to be the next big brand, or looking to exit with an IPO, keeping your finger on the pulse of today’s trends super charges your future.

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How to Decide When Choosing PR, Marketing or Branding Agency?

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At Avaans,  we offer those services to our clients, but sometimes we find our clients think they need one thing when what they actually need is another. So what’s the difference and when should you use each as a strategy.

In truth, your business probably needs ongoing campaigns for each of those, but breaking it down helps prioritize when choosing an agency, it helps to know which of the three disciplines (branding, PR, and, marketing) you should select the agency for. Many agencies offer services in all three categories, like Avaans, but most lead with one of the primary disciplines. So how do you decide when choosing a PR, Marketing or Branding Agency?

What’s the difference between marketing, branding and PR?

Branding: Building Loyalty and Affinity

When to do use it: At brand launch, product launch and throughout the brand’s existence to ensure consistency.

Many people think creating a logo is the extent of branding, but nothing could be further from the truth. brand is your company’s personality.

Branding drives the emotional response your audience has to your message and brand. Branding means having a solid understanding of your audience, their emotional triggers. Branding will touch every single thing you do in marketing and PR too. Think about your social media voice – is it sassy or supportive? That’s a branding decision.

B2B firms often think they can skip the branding step, but it’s even more important for B2B brands to invest in clear, concise, industry consistent branding.

A strong brand has a clear voice and gives their customers & clients something they can self-identify with. When your brand fits into their self-story of how they seem themselves you’ll increase affinity and loyalty. The strongest brands have simple identities that rarely change. Think: Coca-Cola (happiness), Apple (innovation) Lady Gaga (acceptance). The strongest brands also always consider their brand when making big decisions (is this consistent with our brand and our customer’s expectations of us?)

All of the below-mentioned tools will support a brand initiative, the biggest key to a branding initiative is to be sure your company has complete clarity on the audience, key messages, and the desired emotional connection. Branding initiatives may include a call to action, but most prominently elicit an emotional reaction or response.

  • Website: with an emphasis design and layout that matches desired emotional response
  • Content: whether 3rd party or branded, designed and selected to enhance brand’s status in the customer’s mind
  • Advertising: with an emphasis on “WHY” the brand is relevant rather than the “how or where”
  • Events: designed with imprint a memorable experience, or attach a brand to a memorable experience, in the customer’s mind, as opposed to a “lead retrieval” strategy

PR: Influence & Social Proof


When to use it: to create awareness, educate consumers, develop trust with stakeholders.
PR is the art of influence and raising awareness. It’s the ultimate in social proof.

In this bucket, we find tactics like:

  • Events: brand-hosted events for customers, community or likely customers
  • Word of Mouth: campaigns that get people talking about your product, brand and key message
  • Media Relations: relationship building with journalists, writers, and bloggers with an emphasis on collaboration
  • Social Media: with an emphasis on key messaging and influencing the market

In PR you may not get editorial control, so don’t count on a strong call to action, although you may get a link or product recommendation, it will rarely come with a heavy sales action. The best PR is earned PR which means it didn’t come with a quid-pro-quo and that’s part of what gives PR enhanced credibility over marketing.

It’s not as if these tactics aren’t supportive of one another (of COURSE you can get leads from PR tactics), but your brand’s maturity, customers, and community will determine your overall mix among other things.

Marketing: Driving Leads

When to use it: after your brand is established and you’ve earned some brand trust.

Acquiring leads is job number 1 for marketing. Depending on your product marketing may also be the science/artform of conversion also.

In this bucket, we find top-of-the-funnel tactics including:

DIGITAL 

  • Website: Landing pages with a strong call to action
  • Content: blogging, lead magnets designed to support the customer’s buying cycle
  • Content: Webinars
  • Social Media: with a link-building and custom content emphasis
  • Email marketing: shopping cart abandonment, new product announcements, customer campaigns and promotions
  • Digital Ads: social ads and banner ads with a strong call to action for potential customers
  • Remarketing: including shopping cart abandonment and past and current customers

IN PERSON

  • Tradeshows/Festivals
  • Seminars

When to use marketing tactics:
Use marketing when your sales people are trained and ready to follow up with leads. Training your sales people to understand the lead source and where the customer is in the decision-making funnel will help increase conversion. Notice one of the key differences between marketing and branding content is the use of a strong call to action.

Have more questions about how and when to use these tactics? Get in touch with us.

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3 Martha Stewart PR Lessons For Consumer Brands

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Perhaps one of the greatest PR stories in history is about lifestyle icon Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart’s PR playbook is vast, and it’s nimble. She knows how to stay modern and adjust her PR strategies to the cultural temperature. From her early days as a model turned stockbroker turned caterer, Stewart has shown an uncanny ability to tap into our culture and even our forgiveness. Martha Stewart’s PR lessons for any consumer brand work from product promotion to thought leadership; Martha Stewart has PR lessons for every consumer product entrepreneur.

She Owns It
Martha Stewart became a consumer and lifestyle scion because she boldly suggested ambitious ideas without apology. She knows who she is and she knows when she leans into it, it captures the imagination, creates conversation, and gives her brand character.

In the early days of the insider trading accusations, the press skewered Martha Stewart for conducting interviews on a kitchen set. One journalist called it comical and said it was a bad PR move because it connected the scandal to her lifestyle image. But looking back at it, that was a fantastic choice. Martha Stewart always maintained her innocence throughout her trial and sentence. By calmly and coolly talking about the situation on her home turf, doing things she was comfortable doing, she takes the air out of the accusations and speaks straight to her fans. Stewart’s famously coy aloofness also helped. When she smiles, there’s always been this subtext that she knows more than she’s telling. That’s her superpower, and it leaves everyone hanging on for the next great recipe or design idea. Martha’s clever use of mystery is PR wielded in an expert fashion, despite over-exposure to her consumer products.

Skewered as she was, Wall Street believed in her. While she was in prison, her Martha Stewart Living (MSLO) stock jumped 70%. When Stewart emerged from her five-month jail sentence, she didn’t hide as many people would have. She went straight to the daytime talk shows and showed everyone her ankle bracelet. By the time she launches her show, a mere six months after her release, she premiers the show as “free and unfettered,” now that her ankle bracelet is gone. Throughout the entire experience, Stewart refused to be shamed, even when she was found guilty. It takes courage to pull that off, but Stewart never wavered, and it worked for her.

She Says “Yes”

There are two strategies for building a brand. The first is cool aloofness, and the second is relentless exposure. Stewart is the second. Being a caterer sounds like a sexy job but also incredible work. But Stewart kept saying yes. As a caterer, Steward contributed to The New York Times and served as the newspaper’s food and entertainment editor. Six years after launching her successful celebrity catering company, she published her first book and never stopped working. She publishes more books—99 at this writing, a monthly magazine, and pre-and post—jail time TV shows, not to mention thousands of media interviews and call-ins to everyone from Howard Stern to Sirius talk radio shows after launching her talk radio show, Martha Stewart is the hardest working woman in show business. Build success upon success; that’s this PR lesson for consumer brands.

But it’s more than that. She makes her brand work for her, instead of working for her brand. Stewart elevates accessible partners like Kmart and Walmart with affordable lifestyle merchandise without losing her aspirational panache. The Martha Stewart PR lesson for consumer brands is to create an aspirational brand and then make it accessible once the brand is established.

 

She’s In on The Joke

Another consumer product PR lesson is to partner wisely. At 80 years old, she partnered with Snoop Dog in ads for Bic lighters. Again, her coy presence gives it charm, while Snoop Dog gives it an edge. Their partnership created more press than the lighter itself, but I don’t think Bic minds sharing the real estate with two completely different lifestyle icons.

When Stewart was sentenced to jail, Saturday Night Live famously debuted a cold open of a topless Martha Stewart. Her response? Once she was released from prison, she was mad that her parole officer wouldn’t let her host the famously cheeky show. She’s said that one of her “big (career) regrets” is not hosting the show yet. Martha Stewart knows certain cultural touchstones resonate and lock in your place in lifestyle history – SNL is one of those, and she’s not done reaching.

Martha Stewart was always in on the joke, and that allowed her to have fun with her brand – another excellent consumer product PR lesson.

Still the “Guru of Good Taste,” Martha Stewart knows she’s not 42 anymore, but she also knows she can bust down boundaries with her timeless approach to humor.

Bazaar magazine called her the “original influencer,” the New York Times called her ageless for her “coquettish, goofy, rambunctious video ads” for Cle’ de Peau, a makeup brand, on TikTok.

Martha Stewart has been celebrated, vilified, laughed at, and skewered, but with a remarkable eye on PR, she’s turned all of that into an asset for herself. Today, Martha Stewart Living Omnicom is a publicly traded company worth billions, and she has a net worth of around $400 million. From thought leadership to consumer product scion, Martha Stewart has captured our imaginations with savvy consumer PR strategies.

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