Elizabeth Christian & Associates Public Relations Blog

Reflections on 2009

The year is drawing to a close. At ECPR, we have been extremely fortunate to work with a terrific group of clients this year and would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to these organizations.

As you can tell from the list below, agency PR involves working with very diverse issues. One minute we may be dealing with a healthcare crisis—swine flu, for example—the next might bring a strategy session about a mystery involving the death of Meriwether Lewis (truly, one of the most interesting projects we’ve coordinated). It’s all in a day’s work at ECPR—never routine, and always fascinating.

To our clients of 2009: We wish you and yours the happiest of holidays. May you enjoy time with your families and take a break from the workaday world. We truly appreciate the opportunity to be a part of your respective success stories.

THANK YOU TO OUR 2009 CLIENTS:

Boardwalk Trail at Lady Bird Lake
Concordia University Texas
CORE Healthcare
Downtown Austin Alliance
Exelon Nuclear
Family of Meriwether Lewis
Flatrock Springs
Harden Healthcare
 Girling Health Care
 TRISUN Healthcare
 MBS Rehab
 MBS Pharmacy
 Lighthouse Hospice
Heart Gift
KUT
Lakeway MUD
LBJ Foundation
Lemonade Day
Long Center for the Performing Arts
St. David’s HealthCare
 St. David’s North Austin Medical Center
 St. David’s Medical Center
 St. David’s South Austin Hospital
 St. David’s Rehabilitation Hospital
 St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center
 St. David’s Georgetown Hospital
 St. David’s Women’s Center of Texas
 NeuroTexas Institute at St. David’s HealthCare
 Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David’s Medical Center
Skywater Over Horseshoe Bay
Southwestern University/National Institute for Technology in Liberal
 Education
Sweet Serendipity
Texas Access to Justice Commission and Foundation
Texas Mutual Insurance
Texas Radiological Society
TIBH Industries
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association
T. Stacy & Associates
Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Homes
WIC/Texas

Cheers!

-Meg Meo

My Advice to Tiger Woods

If Tiger Woods walked through our doors and wanted to get my two cents on how he is going to escape from this mess, this is what I'd tell him:

The good news is that your career can get back on track, the bad news is that you will have no more endorsements for a while.

Case in point: On Feb. 18, 2008, New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettite stood in front of a roomful of reporters and admitted he used performance enhancing drugs after his name came up in investigations during the 2007 off-season. He apologized for taking the substances and now quietly enjoys the twilight years of a fine career.

On the other hand, there is the story of another Yankee, Roger Clemens, who despite the Everest-sized pile of evidence pointing to his use of steroids never made a single apology about it, choosing to be the tough guy instead and deny every single accusation ever pitched his way.

Although the source of these problems are a little different, the way out is not very different: tell the public the truth and tell it often.

Skipping out on interviews with the state police and on your own charity golf tournaments will not help your cause. No, you don't owe America any explanations but otherwise TMZ's point of view is all America will have and are you sure that's what you want everyone to believe?

Here's the beauty behind telling the truth: if these sordid tales are true and you fess up to it, the public can respect that more than a man who seems like he's got something to hide. Like it or not, Tiger, you are a public figure and we love our celebrities.

Releasing blanket statements on your Web site is not only cowardly, but ineffective at this point. Your audience now involves people who read US Weekly and People, not only golf junkies who turn to your site for the latest on Tiger, so you'll need to take that in consideration next time you have something to say about this matter.

You have to be proactive about this. You waited too long to say something about the car accident and when you did, the cat was already out of the bag yet you acted like you still had everything under control. Do you really think a simple release on your site and removing yourself from the public eye will make this go away? The more you hide, the more the public will want to know.

In short, Tiger, apologize, show that you mean it over the next few months, continue being proactive about responding to this mess, keep working at your game and maybe you'll win a major next year or the year after that, and then guess what? You'll have successfully put this behind you. You won't ever be a poster boy for countless products again, but you'll be happy that you can show your face in public again.

Good luck!

Andre

Public Relations Perceptions

There is often confusion surrounding the definition of what PR is and the mainstream image of PR practitioners in movies, television shows, etc. doesn’t necessarily help clear up this confusion.

The most well-known PR professional character that I can think of and that many people attribute to what a “real” PR professional does is Samantha Jones from “Sex and the City.” However, the show only glosses over what she does professionally, focusing mostly on PR as a promotional tool. This fictional character doesn’t give a clear understanding of what many PR practitioners do everyday, such as researching, developing strategy and plans, media relations, crisis communication, as well as creating, maintaining and repairing relationships, among others.

Most importantly, PR practitioners are not all flaxen blonde women, running around in stilettos while talking on iPhones. I have red, curly hair and any good PR girl knows that you should wear flats when working an event anyway!

Granted, there are different niche PR practices and I am sure that each one showcases professionals with varying skills and traits. When it comes down to it, PR is really about communicating, building relationships and raising awareness to ultimately drive business growth for clients.

To help de-bunk some of the common misconceptions I run into about PR practitioners, I found an interesting and succinct online article from Suite101.com that discusses some of the top PR myths:

1. Myth: PR and Advertising are the Same

    Fact: PR is Persuasive, Communicated through Non-paid Third Parties

2. Myth: All PR Professionals are Publicists

    Fact: Comprehensive PR Campaigns Often Require Much More than Working with the Media

3. Myth: PR is Just about Sending Press Releases

    Fact: A Press Release is a PR Tool, Not a PR Strategy

4. Myth: PR Professionals Make up News or Distort the Truth

    Fact: PR Professionals Communicate Useful, Factual News to a Targeted Audience

Please take a few minutes to read the full article here: http://tinyurl.com/ydds7lf

Lindsey

Job Searches Can Have Happy Endings

I believe everyone has the potential to be excited about the place they work. Lucky for me, as the newest member of the ECPR staff, I am living proof that a job search can have a happy ending! 

While I don’t consider myself an expert on job hunting, I do have a pretty regular string of e-mails in my inbox from friends looking for tips on making their next career move a success. I’d like to think I developed this gift on my own, but it most likely comes from the myriad of jobs I’ve secured in the midst of graduate school and two cross-country moves. Over the past seven years, I’ve worked alongside extremely smart, professional communicators, and I don’t believe it’s just a coincidence. In fact, I think securing a job you’ll love requires a lot more than good luck.

Finding a job that capitalizes your expertise and your interests can start with identifying the places you’d like to volunteer. For me, the ECPR job lead came from volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas. Yes, this route does require giving up some of your spare time, but it will broaden your horizons and give you a clear perspective on the type of work you’d enjoy. In fact, I’ve found volunteering and joining professional organizations as the most helpful routes for job searching. And, time and time again, these two avenues bring opportunities faster than any other search engine. To put it plainly, if you’re involved in projects you enjoy outside of work, you’ll be more fulfilled, and eventually you’re bound to run into someone who is like-minded and willing to help identify new opportunities with you.

Another tactic is to schedule short, informational and informal meetings with companies you have an interest in order to learn more about the organization while presenting yourself in a less threatening environment than an interview. That way, when it comes time to hire, your new contact can call on you as a potential new hire, and you’ve already completed the first round of interviews. As a general rule, anytime you meet the head of an organization, treat it as an interview, because you never know where it will lead.

After you’ve found an opportunity and you are ready to apply, don’t make foolish mistakes. When applying for a job, make sure you always follow directions. If the application asks you to fax something, send in your materials in the exact format they’re requesting, even if you’ve never used a fax machine before. Also, make your cover letter a bit more personal, tell the potential employer about any connections you might have to their organization, or tell a little anecdote about yourself or your experience. If you don’t make your application stand out, the employer will never know what you have to offer.

Overall, it’s a humbling process. Outside of interviewing, there are very few times in life when putting your best foot forward isn’t always enough. But, thankfully, when the right opportunity comes along, you’ll be thrilled by the offer and motivated to do your best work. Most importantly, if things aren’t quite working out right now, be patient and persistent. In my opinion, the right job is always worth the wait!

Good luck!

Jennie Whitaker