PRSSA National Conference Review: The Importance of Reputation Management in Healthcare PR1/29/2014 by Bobby Batyko Reputation management is key across all fields of public relations, but what impact does it have in the healthcare field? From status quo operations to hospital-wide emergencies, establishing and keeping a reputable public image is critical. That’s an important job and is what Christopher Brown, director of marketing for Stanford Hospitals, does every day. When I attended his session at the 2013 PRSSA National Conference, it was an introduction to the world of healthcare PR. During the presentation, he gave two specific examples that shed light on exactly what his job entails. Managing a Crisis Brown’s first example involved a crisis resulting from the documentary Life for Sale. The documentary was a scathing review of Stanford Hospitals and alleged wildly unethical practices, including profiting at the expense of patients’ health. The marketing department at Stanford quickly researched the claims made. Within hours of the films release, Brown began contacting newspapers and clarifying the truth. Nearly all of the claims made were either completely false or greatly distorted from reality. The legal department quickly became involved and began taking action against the makers or the film for multiple illegal actions taking during the making of the film. After only 48 hours of the first public viewing of the film, critical backlash turned tides from the hospital system to the documentary itself. In terms of analyzing what took place, the incident demonstrated how effective crisis planning could impact such an event. The hospital had an effective system for dispersing key talking points, was able to quickly produce factual information and had well-established relationships with reporters. While this response plan was certainly effective for a healthcare provider, it is a model that benefits nearly any organization with a public following. Dealing with the Press Brown’s second example involved showcasing a new type of open heart surgery. A number of journalists were in the room observing the surgery along with video and audio recording equipment. Unfortunately, things took a dramatic turn for the worse during the procedure. The patient experienced a very serious complication and ended up passing away suddenly. When the doctors stepped away from the table, Brown had a decision to make: Should he remove the journalists from the room as soon as possible while asking that all recording equipment be turn off, or should he let the press witness what happened next? He chose to pursue to latter. Instead of writing a story about how a patient died during a heart procedure, the journalists wrote about the unmatched professionalism of Stanford Hospital doctors when little hope remained for the procedure’s success. This action, or rather choice of inaction, completely altered what could have been a PR crisis. It is difficult to think strategically during a split-second, unexpected disaster. However, when effectively made, these decisions can stop a worst-case scenario. To say the absolute least, the session gave a phenomenal look into what healthcare PR is like. From long-term reputation management to handling unpredictable emergency situations, there simply isn’t a dull day on the job.
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by Kirsten Bowers Building relationships is important in PR. I mean, it’s in our job title: public relations professional. Building relationships with both the media and with your coworkers is especially important in the entertainment industry because those relationships can lead you down the road to success in your first job in public relations. This is what I learned when I attended the session “The World of Entertainment PR with Warner Bros. Television” at the PRSSA National Conference in Philadelphia last fall. The session was led by Damian Holbrook, senior writer for “TV Guide Magazine;” Tammy Golihew, senior vice president of publicity at Warner Bros. Television; and Jeff Tobler, director of publicity initiatives at Warner Bros. Television. The trio addressed the working relationship of entertainment PR professionals and journalists as well as finding your first job. Working with the Media
Picking a Job and Launching Your Career
Need advice? The panelists provided two more suggestions you should follow as you complete your college career:
PRSSA National Conference Review: Integrated Marketing Communications Through Social Media12/10/2013 by Navjot Grewal
Today we hear a lot about Integrated Marketing Communications, but what does it mean for PR professionals in the age of social media? Keith Quesenberry shared useful advice on how to integrate social media in communications at the PRSSA 2013 National Conference in Philadelphia. Quesenberry, a lecturer in the Center for Leadership Education at the Johns Hopkins University and instructor at the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Graduate Program at West Virginia University, said that traditional IMC that delivers consistent messages through “consumer touch points” (anything that reaches the consumer) does not work today in the age of Web 2.0 Organizations should start interacting with social media consumers who trust each other more than the businesses, Quesenberry said. He outlined five steps to include social media integration into business communication: 1. Integrate Social Media through Research Social media can be used to monitor and understand what is being said about you and your competitors. Using various free and paid services like Google Analytics and HubSpot can do this. 2. Integrate Social Media through Crowd Sourcing You can do big tasks by getting your consumers involved. Crowd Sourcing helps capture ideas, engage consumers and discover what ideas work. 3. Integrate Social Media through Branded Content Give valuable content to your consumers through social media. Best Buy developedTWELPFORCE, a 24/7 expert technical helpline from employees, which reduced consumer complaints by 20 percent in its first year. Set social media guidelines and let your employees speak for you. 4. Integrate Social Media through Customer Evangelism Find mass connectors and mass mavens, and reach out to them. Identify your customer evangelist network. 5. Integrate Social Media through Customer Service Fill the communication gap between you and the consumer by responding to them on social media. However, Quesenberry advises to take the consumer offline in the case of addressing complaints once the conversation has been initiated. by Stephanie Smith Often, public relations students will approach me—after hearing that I worked for the federal government for nearly 30 years—and say, “I’d really like to work for the federal government. How do I go about landing a job there?” They’re often surprised when my response is a simple question: “What is it about government work that interests you?” If this question is met with blank stares, I usually follow up by asking: “What issues do you care about? What sort of public service are you passionate about?” These questions can be conversation stoppers. I’m still trying to figure out why, but it may be the case that for many students, the federal government looks sort of monolithic—if you work for the federal government, you work for the government. End of conversation. In truth, working for the government in public affairs, including public engagement, public information and public advocacy, is highly differentiated. No two agencies of the government are the same; they differ by mission, by culture and by design. This means, of course, that the role of the public communicator will differ depending on where one works within the government. I spent nearly 30 years working in national security and intelligence; that’s quite a different mission and culture than working for the Department of Agriculture. Explaining those differences, of course, is what high school civics classes are all about and not the purpose of this blog. Instead, I’ll focus on a few “essentials” for those who want to pursue a career in government public affairs, whether as a federal employee or as a contractor working for an agency that supports the government. • Understand the role of government and the legislative process. Remember that old School House Rock cartoon, often rebroadcast by Jon Stewart, about how a bill becomes a law? It turns out that’s pretty important stuff. The government, at any level, works with issues, policy, laws and legislators. If you aren’t sure about how government works or about how the legislative process works, get familiar with it. • Pick your passion—and do your homework. Are you interested in terrorism? Anti-bullying legislation? The environment? Food safety? Human trafficking? Healthcare reform? Or is your passion working for political campaigns, such as getting people elected or getting legislation passed? One of the best ways to prepare for a public affairs job is to immerse yourself in an issue that plays to your passions. Study the issue deeply and understand who influences that issue. Which departments of government, which specific legislators and which specific lobbying groups and public interest groups focus on the issue? If you are interested in healthcare reform, for example, take some public health classes. Read all that you can. This information will be helpful with your job search strategy, on your résumé and in job interviews. And by the way, it usually takes time to land a public affairs job inside the federal government. Start preparing now. • Know the difference between public relations and public affairs. Yes, there are similarities. Both work with goals, strategies and objectives. Both use the tools and tactics of communication. Both seek to share information, promote understanding and persuade people. Both seek to build, manage and sustain relationships with stakeholder publics. Public affairs, however, primarily handles issues, not commercial activity. In public affairs, you deal with causes, problems, public policy and laws. You build real grassroots coalitions and you deal with many types of stakeholders. (Think of the hundreds of stakeholder groups involved with healthcare reform.) If you become a government employee, you will probably not be concerned with business development, client relations and billable hours. But you will be concerned with constituent relations, accountability reviews and congressional inquiries. • Understand reputation management and crisis management. Let’s face it, the federal government isn’t popular. Most Americans see it as too big, too costly and too ineffective until they need it. If you work in government public affairs, you will be dealing with a “client” who is always controversial and frequently misunderstood, one whose reputation regularly takes a beating in the press. Sure, people complain when Starbucks® raises their prices, but they still line up for coffee (at absurd prices) and they don’t scream that Starbucks should be eliminated. When people get mad at the government, the issues are usually large, the stakes are high and tempers are hot. (Think about the whole debate over the healthcare.gov website.) You will always be explaining, defending and protecting your client’s reputation, you will regularly face crises of public confidence, you will always face vocal and passionate opponents and you will be expected to fix real problems—not to simply create cool viral videos or Pinterest postings. Bottom line: If you like working for clients that are cool, fun, hip and beloved by their customers, government public affairs is probably not for you. But if you like working on big ideas, if you want to be part of big change and if you want to make a difference in people’s lives, government public affairs is an endlessly fascinating and meaningful career. “KEEP YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO PRESENT ITSELF FOR YOU.” – COMMANDER BROOK DEWALT by Lyndsey Sager
In one of many helpful professional development sessions during the PRSSA National Conference in Philadelphia late last month, I had the opportunity to hear from Commander Brook DeWalt, a Navy public affairs officer with experience as the director of public affairs for Joint Task Force Guantanamo, along with many other positions. DeWalt’s presentation was about public affairs and, more specifically, public communications, as he likes to call it. He believes public communications is an “all-encompassing” term for the broad field he works in. When DeWalt first started college, he was a music major who thought he’d be a concert tubaist. Eventually, he switched his major to journalism, and after working in promotions for a movie theater, DeWalt joined the Navy reserves. As a reservist for public affairs, DeWalt worked on basic press releases and edited the “U.S. Navy” magazine. Eventually, he decided to make Navy public affairs his full-time career. From there, DeWalt has had multiple opportunities to change career paths. At one point, he was a public affairs officer at sea in Japan. Later, he became the director of public affairs for Joint Task Force Guantanamo, the most highly-criticized military facility on the face of the planet. What does it take to experience a successful career in public affairs?Below, DeWalt provides seven tips for students interested in public affairs, as well as public relations in general:
Also, Kent State has a great resource for learning even more about the field of public affairs. School of Journalism and Mass Communication lecturer Stephanie Smith served around 30 years with the United States government (25 of which with the CIA). To learn more about Smith’s experience, check back Nov. 15 to read her guest post. |
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